


The Two Lines

by yagirlqueenie



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angry Parents, Babysitting, College AU, F/M, Fluff, I nearly died 2 times while writing this heh, Moving, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Wedding Fluff, but that's not until the last chapter, dadvid, max deserves better i stg, parenting, these aren't in order btw lmao, this fic has it all wooee, you know?? the good shit??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2018-12-11 09:46:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11711850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yagirlqueenie/pseuds/yagirlqueenie
Summary: After a college graduation party, Max and Nikki find out they're expecting.





	1. 7 Minutes

2 weeks ago, Max and Nikki stood on the stage at their community college in matching robes, ready to accept their diplomas. 5 weeks ago, Max handed Nikki a small velvet box with an engagement ring, asking for her hand in marriage. And tonight, Max and Nikki were invited the graduation party one of their former college mates was hosting.

Nikki skipped down the street with Max's fingers laced around hers, her bangs (which were longer than the rest of her hair which she had chopped off into a pixie cut) bounced with every skip. Nikki was wearing one of Max's sweatshirts she had claimed as her own. It was large and baggy, causing an off the shoulder look. It also made it hard to notice the fact she was wearing red athletic shorts.

Formal wasn't her style at all, but that's one of the things Max liked about her. 

Max took his time walking down the street with Nikki, using his free hand to text Neil on his phone. The three friends managed to stay close after Camp Campbell, they had countless sleepovers and would sometimes come over uninvited, causing mayhem in their neighborhoods.

Max sported black skinny jeans and a hoodie with their community college's logo (which Nikki often stole from Max too, so it smells like her, leaving a small smirk on Max's face)

 

This wasn't their first party, Nikki often got them invited to sports related parties, Max was invited to some preppy meet and greets for law school that was for some reason taught at Sleepy Peak Community College, it's best not to question it according to the other law school students.

 

Nikki rapidly knocks on host's door, forcing Max to pull her hand back out of fear she'll keep it up until somebody hears it over the blasting music. Max rings the doorbell instead, bringing the party host outside to welcome them in.

“Max! Nikki! Come on in!” The host greets, pulling both Max and Nikki into a tight hug. Nikki somehow managed to hug tighter than the host, but Max tried to squeeze himself out.

“You guys came right on time, pizza just got here!” The host points to the pizza that was on the snack table next to the (possibly spiked) punch bowl and other snacks.

“Oooh, don't mind if I do!” Nikki's eyes light up as she makes her way to the snack table, helping herself to a slice of pizza.

Max walks over to the snack table and pours himself some 'punch', but tasting it proves it was definitely spiked, knowing the host, probably with rum. The guy has good intentions with his drink mixes, but pineapple and rum don't mix at all.

Granted, that never stopped Nikki from downing 2 red cups of the horrible blend.  
Nikki loved the fuzzy and warm feeling drinking gave her, despite the flavor of whatever beverage she drank, she loved to get buzzed 5 minutes into a party.

Max finds a blank spot on the wall and leans against it as he continues his conversation with Neil about where they're thinking of hosting the wedding.

“Nikki wants an outdoor wedding, mainly so she can roll around or something” Max sends.

“That sounds like her. Any location in mind yet?” Neil replies.

“She suggested going back to Camp Campbell in that one clearing where the order of the sparrow was hosted but I doubt Mr. Campbell would want a wedding hosted there and there's no way in hell I'm asking David” Max responds, looking up from his phone to see Nikki trying to get some of the law school students to dance with her.

“But whatever she wants to do is fine with me” Max sends with a small smirk spread on his face as his cheeks softly flush into a red hue.

“You softie” Neil responds “I bet you're smiling again”

“I could be, granted you could be minding your own goddamn business” Max cracks a chuckle as his happy smirk switches into a mischievous one.

“You definitely are” Neil replies.

“Up yours” Max sends.

 

Max's conversation is interrupted by a tap on his shoulder, Max looks up from his phones to see Nikki with a shit eating grin on her face.

“Yeah?” Max raises an eyebrow as he puts his phone in his pocket “What is it, Nik?”

“Everyone's heading over to the den to play 7 minutes in heaven and I bribed the host to let us go first” Nikki's eyes light up, hoping he'll say what she wants him to say.

“hmm” Max pretends to ponder, making Nikki think he won't say yes “Sure, why not” Max smirks.  
Nikki gasps before grabbing Max by the wrist and dragging him out to the den.

 

“Alright, Nikki kindly asked if she and Max could go first, so let me explain how it goes in case you don't know the rules” The host clears their throat.

“Two people go in the closet for 7 minutes, it's completely dark and you're allowed to do anything as long as the cops don't need to be involved, looking at you, Gerald.”

A random guy apparently named Gerald's face flushes into a deep red, we may never know what Gerlad did.

“Alright, I'm gonna start the timer once you both get in, have fun!” The host winks at the two and laughs under his breath.  
“Yeah Nikki!” “Go get 'em!” “Thatta girl!” Various former students of Sleepy Peak Community hollered as Nikki dragged her fiance into the dark closet.

 

Max closes the door behind him and Nikki, they were quickly met with darkness, the only light coming from the cracks of the door. Max fumbles with his pockets to bring out his phone, using the light from the lock screen of him and Nikki to illuminate the small space.

“Ain't that cheating?” Nikki asks smugly, raising a brow at Max with a smirk. Max rolls his eyes, a smirk growing onto his expression to match hers.

“Could be, but rules were made to be broken.” Max shrugs before caressing Nikki's illuminated cheek. The cool touch of his engagement ring trailed down Nikki's cheek, clashing against the warmth of her blush.

A loving stare is exchanged between the two, Max could practically melt as he looked into Nikki's warm, froly eyes. Over the years he's remained bitter, but Nikki always managed to bring out a warmer version of himself. He's always nicer and down to earth when she's around.

Of course, that didn't mean that as they grew older they left their childhood adventures to rest. They're still up to mayhem, even in their early twenties, from hopping fences into private locations and sneaking into restricted areas of SPC.

There's an exchanged silence, they're staring at each other, they're breathing is synced. It's calm, various thoughts crossing each of their minds.

“Well, let's not waste 7 minutes” Nikki whispers, pulling Max into an embrace, allowing her to kiss the nape of his neck with her hand to brush and play with his black curly hair.

Max traces circles onto Nikki's back, sending chills up and down her spine. Sensing her chills, Max spurts out a small chuckle. 

Nikki pulls back from his neck, her lips softly pursed as she breathes in and out softly as she held onto Max, hanging on by his hoodie.

Nikki's hands drag away from his back and grip onto the drawstrings of his hoodie, dragging him into a kiss as she leans them both back. They're now laying on the pile of coats and various other clothing that was tucked away into the small closet.

Max is now on top of Nikki, he's using his strength to keep himself from crushing her as they exchanged kisses with one another. Nikki cups Max's face, although her hands were small compared to his face, Max found it to be adorable.

Nikki loved pulling Max into kisses, the look in his eyes when she brings him close nearly kills her every time. It starts off with shock, almost as if he forgets how strong she really is, then it fades into pleasure, Nikki always kept him on his toes, she says “The element of surprise is what really keeps a relationship alive.” Of course, Max would beg to differ.

Max can taste the punch on Nikki's tongue, it was fruity but had the gross after taste of vodka followed by pizza. Luckily, the sweet taste of pineapple distracted him enough as it is.

 

“2 Minutes left, guys!” The host calls out from the outside of the closet, breaking the silence that Max and Nikki had formed. 

Max pulls away from the kiss, looking at the door then back to Nikki. Nikki's eyes were lit up, her chest rose and sunk in rhythm with every deep breath she took. Max's breathing was in sync with hers.

Flustered, Max sat up, one of his hands on his lap with the other running through his curls in an attempt to fix them from Nikki playing with them. 

Nikki bit her lip, she opened her mouth to say something but stopped. “What?” Max asked, confused to why she stopped.

“I...” Nikki looked away from Max, breaking eye contact. “I don't think 7 minutes is gonna be enough.”

“Oh” Max lets out “Oh!” Max's face turns beet red, realizing just what she meant.  
“Do you just want to go home or something?” Max suggests, Nikki silently responds with a nod.

Nikki sits up, fixing her own hair by smoothing it down. Her cheeks are almost of red as her shorts were. The small size of the closet made getting up a little difficult for the two, their heads bump into each other, causing them to exchange small laughs.

 

“And time's up, come on out, you two!” The host calls out from outside of the closet door as the timer on his phone beeps.

Nikki and Max step out of the closet, already sure that they were leaving early.

“How were those 7 minutes, Max?” One of the graduates asks cockily, bumping an elbow towards Max. 

“Uhh...” Max is unsure how to respond, he glances at Nikki, hoping she would respond for him.

“Y'know,” Max glares at the graduate “It's really none of your fucking business about how those 7 minutes were”

Various graduates holler at Max's harsh remark, leaving a bit of confidence in Max.  
The graduate that asked in the first place is embarrassed, but laughs it off.

Max feels a tug on his sleeve, he peaks over and it's Nikki, she has a look of impatience in her expression. Max quickly remembers the plan, he gives her a small nod.

“Me and Nikki are gonna head home early” Max puts one hand into his hoodie pocket, using his other to awkwardly scratch his scalp as Nikki wraps herself around his arm.

“Aw what?” The host whines “How come?”

“I have a football game I wanna watch and it starts in half an hour, the party was fun, though!” Nikki uses as an excuse.

“Well, enjoy it, thanks for coming!” The hosts waves goodbye, slightly betrayed.

 

Max and Nikki step out the front door, grinning like two up-to-no-good children.


	2. Return to Campbell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 5 Weeks after the graduation party, Max and Nikki drive down to Camp Campbell to be counselors for the summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> owo what's this? I actually updated it how rad

It's been 5 weeks since the party, Max, and Nikki had been talking about the aftermath for weeks.   
They've felt closer since that game of 7 minutes, a lot more cuddling and loving looks were exchanged between them during chores.

 

It was an early Friday morning, usually, Max and Nikki slept in on Fridays, but Nikki was up early, stuck in the bathroom.

Nikki had been under the weather as of recently, she usually complained about her stomach cramping or her head aching and the fact she's had nausea all morning wasn't helping one bit.

Nikki convinced herself that it was just because she hasn't been in the woods in months due to finals, so she was looking forward to returning to Camp Campbell.  
Due to staff in Camp Campbell being short every year, Max, Neil, and Nikki were invited to camp every summer as a summer job, even if it didn't pay well.

Nikki curled over the toilet, no blood like what she usually got, thank god. She was exhausted from getting up early just to get sick every morning, thankfully, all she had to do was finish packing then they'd be on the road within an hour or two on their way to Camp Campbell.

 

Max steps into the bathroom in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes from what sleep was left in them.   
He leans against the door frame as he watches his sick fiance, concern painted onto his face.

“Are you sure you want to go to Camp Campbell? We can just wait this out, this doesn't seem normal” Max pointed out, his eyebrows knitted.

Nikki finishes and stands up, her balance wobbly due to crouching down for the past 10 minutes  
“No way, I've been waiting to go to Camp Campbell all year!”

Max walks towards Nikki, placing a hand on her shoulder  
“Alright just,” Max pauses with a sigh “take it easy, this isn't like you”

Nikki looks up, meeting eye contact with Max. She gives him a nod in agreement before leaning her head into the hand that was on her shoulder, rubbing her color lost cheek with it.

 

An hour and two fully packed bags stuffed in Max's car later, Max and Nikki are on the road on their way to Camp Campbell.

Max kept a collection of snacks in a container of snacks right in between them to graze off of during the road trip, Nikki was left in charge of choosing the music during the drive from a custom play list she made out of various soundtracks and albums they listened to.

Nikki glares at Max, a mischievous smirk spread onto her face.  
Max peeks over at her for a second, he had to keep his on on the road due to them being on the highway.

“What's that face for?” Max asks with a smirk of his own growing on him as he raised a brow in curiosity.

Nikki starts chuckling into her free hand, using the other to play a song on her phone connected to the AUX cord.

“-Ooga-chaka Ooga-Ooga, Ooga-chaka Ooga-Ooga-” Nikki sings along to the stereo, Max quickly catches on that she's singing one of his old favorite songs from his childhood.

Max rolls his eyes with a smile and sings along, joining into the road trip karaoke that played out.

“I can't stop this feeling, deep inside of me. Girl, you just don't realize  
What you do to me”

Nikki couldn't control her smiling, Max rarely sang, this was probably the only song he'd sing, at least, in front of Nikki. Despite the uncontrollable smiling and giggling, Nikki kept on singing the backup vocals.

“When you hold me, in your arms so tight,  
you let me know everything's all right”   
Max looks into Nikki's eyes with a sly expression, one arm propped onto his seat with the other on the wheel.

“I'm hooked on a feeling, I'm high on believing,  
that you're in love with me!” The two sing in unison into an imaginary mic they pretended to share.

“Hooked on a Feeling” had to be their song for sure, Max can't listen to the song without Nikki coming into mind, it melted his acclaimed “stone cold heart” leaving him feeling warm inside.

 

Hours later, late in the night, the sun has set, leaving dark hues in the sky as stars painted the sky and the faded Camp Campbell sign finally comes into sight

Nikki was bouncing in her seat, ready to get up and stretch for the first time since their last bathroom break.

Max glances out the passenger side window, there, in the headlights, a 36-year-old David ran along with the car, a wide smile spread onto his face and a guitar strapped on his back.  
Nikki gasps with excitement, David's not the only one waiting for them as they pull in.  
Gwen and Neil are standing by the Camp Campbell sign, ready to help them with their so they can get to catching up as soon as possible.

Max parks the car in the gravel coated parking area the camp had, it was yards away from the camp itself so no kids like himself could make it far without a counselor noticing them running away.

As soon as they open the doors, Gwen and Neil book it towards their car and David squeezes Nikki, who returns a tight bear hug.

“Max, Nikki, it's so great to see you two again!” David exclaims with each hug they exchanged. Max rolled his eyes before trying to make his way towards Neil, but David was quick enough to pull Max into a tight squeeze similar to Nikki's.

Max struggles to flee from the hug, but to no avail, he ends up hugging him back to get it over with. David and Nikki hugged Max the same way, tight and welcoming, something you'd have to get used to.

“Hey, David” Max chokes out from the tight squeeze he tried to escape “It's great to see you, too”

David gasped with excitement, finally pulling away from the hug. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah! He kept talking about how he missed telling ghost stories that made you shake outta fear” Nikki interrupted with a grin.

“Oh, Max, I missed your ghost stories, too! Even if they were traumatizing...” David trailed off as memories of his ghost stories flooded back to him.

“Hey, we're here, too!” A familiar voice calls out from behind Max and Nikki.

Neil steps in, adjusting his glasses that he needed once he got older. Max and Nikki smiled towards him, running over to bring him into a group hug.

It had been months since they all had last seen each other in person due to school finals kicking their asses, but since then they've all graduated and moved on from their college life.

Max pulls himself out of the group hug, pocketing his hands back into his hoodie out of habit.

“Neil, you son of a bitch, how've you been?” Max asks, giving Neil a rare toothy grin.

“What sciencey shit are you getting into?” Nikki bounces on the balls of her toes, her hair curl bouncing with her.

“All sorts of “shit”, I can smell that Nobel Prize right now” Neil brags as he crosses his arms with confidence, Nikki's eyes light up in response “So cool!”

 

David places his hands on his hips and sighs deeply, taking in the fact that all three trouble makers (Or as Max called themselves, “Bastards”) were all together once again and college graduates.

“Max, Nikki, come on, you're seriously not forgetting me, are you?” Gwen crosses her arms with a smirk.

Nikki grabs Gwen's wrist and pulls her into a tight hug, but due to Nikki's short height, she's pushed back from it.

“How were finals? You glad you're all done with college?” Gwen asks weakly as she gasps for air.

“So tiring! I'm never reading or writing anything ever again” Nikki whines.

Gwen gives Max a nod, he'd rather have personal space (Neil being an exception, of course) and she respected that.

 

David looks down at his watch, it's 11:27, almost time to get into bed.  
“How about we hurry up and get these bags in the cabin? We can talk more in the morning!” David suggests with a sleepy smile.

The group nods in agreement, David grabs a duffel bag, Gwen takes a stuffed suitcase and Neil takes their backpacks. Max and Nikki just hold whatever leftover stuff they had left (mainly just the snacks that Nikki would hoard to herself)

 

“I call top bunk!” Nikki calls out to Max as she sprints to the cabin.  
David shushes her because the campers were sleeping in their tents, but Nikki couldn’t hear him over the fit of giggles she gave out.

“Nice try, I already called it!” Neil claps back at Nikki, chuckling in victory.

“You WHAT?! No fair!” Nikki whines out loud, Max laughs behind her.

 

Stepping into the cabin, Max and Nikki were instantly met with their bedroom for the summer,   
the counselor cabin seems to shrink with each new counselor that comes in.  
Mr. Campbell resorted to buying bunk beds instead of using his cash stash to build another cabin, so the cabin seemed a bit cramped.

The bunk beds were twin sized, that was no surprise, but there were only four beds, so Max and Nikki would have to share the bottom bunk under Neil.

“God, Neil, is this a bunk or a coat rack?” Max remarks on the fact that Neil had a lab coat hanging on one of the bunk posts.

“Sorry, you said you were coming into camp a few days late, I took advantage while I could.” Neil points out with a shrug.

Max lifts a finger to speak but remembering he did, in fact, say that shut him up before he could speak.

 

12:13 AM, Max and Nikki's bags were opened and on the floor, their green shirts laid out for when they'd have to rush in them in the morning.  
Everyone's in their pajamas, David's says goodnight to everyone before flicking the light switch, leaving the cabin and the entire camp pitch black.


	3. The Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sun rises over Camp Campbell, it was 6:24 AM and Nikki was wide awake in her shared bed.  
> Nikki's stomach churned uncomfortably, this wasn't right at all, she was in the woods, what was she missing?

The sun rises over Camp Campbell, it was 6:24 AM and Nikki was wide awake in her shared bed.  
Nikki's stomach churned uncomfortably, this wasn't right at all, she was in the woods, what was she missing?

Nikki stares at the bottom of Neil's mattress, next to her was Max, sleeping soundly.  
Everyone but Nikki was sleeping, actually. Nikki was the only one awake this early.

David mentioned that he and Gwen would wake up around 6:30 to get breakfast started, Nikki could probably slip out to the bathroom without David and Gwen seeing her.

Nikki was nervous, hoping that maybe she was just so excited to go back into the woods that she felt sick. Yeah, that had to be it!  
Maybe after she slips off to the bathroom she'll take a brisk walk around camp to calm her nerves.

 

Nikki quietly crawls over Max, he winced his eyes as she was over him but he was used to Nikki switching spots in their bed at home that he was mostly unfazed.

Nikki let out a silent sigh of relief before tiptoeing out of the cabin going unnoticed.  
At least, she thought she was.

 

At 6:30 AM, David sits up almost instantly as his alarm buzzed.  
David looks out the window, the sunrise peeking up left the camp ground covered in a golden hue.

He hops out of bed and shakes Gwen awake, she groans in her sleep.

“Gwen” David whispers with a shake “Gweeen”  
“Gwen!” He sharply whispers in an attempt to wake her up.

“Shut the fuck up, David, we're trying to sleep” Max mumbles in his sleep angrily.

“Oopsie! Sorry, Max!” David apologized quietly.  
Max covers his head with his pillow and turns over, mumbling various swears under his breath.

Gwen sits up and hits her head on the ceiling, forgetting the fact she took the top bunk.  
She rubs her sore forehead with one hand and her eye with the other.

“It's 6:30 already?” Gwen asks with a yawn as she glares down at David who was too perky already.

“Yep! But today's Saturday, so you could probably sneak a nap in since we don't have any activities planned today” David points out with one hand on his hip.

“Right right...” Gwen nods sleepily before getting down from her bunk.

“God, do you guys ever stop talking?” Max scoffs as he scowled down the older counselors.  
David gives him a small frown, then a confused expression when he notices Nikki's missing.

 

“Max, where's Nikki?” David points to the empty spot next to Max.  
Max looks behind him, no Nikki in sight.

“That's a good question” Max's eyebrows knit together in concern “Maybe she went on an early hike?”

“You know, I did see her tiptoe out of here about ten minutes ago, she looked uncomfortable” Gwen points out as she crosses her arms

“Uncomfortable?” Max sits up and stares at the floor for a second “Must be cabin fever, we didn't get to do much outside last night, we just went straight to bed”

“Yeah, you remember when she was in town for a few hours? She was miserable” Neil adds into the conversation as he hops down.

“Yeah, she was” Max slouched down, guilt weighing him down.

 

A moment of silence passes before everyone splits up to do their own thing.  
David and Gwen prepare breakfast with Quartermaster, Neil goes over the schedule for Monday with Max as he unpacks his stuff into drawers.

Max nervously eyes Nikki's bag, the guilt within him building him.

“Neil, I don't think it was a good idea to bring Nikki here, she's been,” Max pauses, pulling himself together “Sick...”

“Don't feel too bad, it takes a lot to bring Nikki down, she'll be fine” Neil shrugs as he flips through pages on the clipboard.

“I hope so, she's been miserable all week” Max adds, he sounded angry at himself for bringing her here.

Max angrily grumbles to himself as he refolds and puts away laundry while Neil flips through the rest of the schedule. The silence (if you could call it that due to Max's mumbling) is broken by Gwen knocking on the door.

Gwen sticks her head in, glad to see Max wearing his uniform shirt, even if he was wearing his unzipped hoodie.

“Okay, first of all, Max I don't understand how you can handle wearing a Hoodie in July, second of all, breakfast is ready. Is Nikki back yet?” Gwen asks as she places her hand on her hip.

“No, not yet” Max groans, leaning his head back in defeat.

“Fuck, okay, I'm going to go look for her. You two need to go to the mess hall because kids are going to start heading in for breakfast and it's going to be chaos” Gwen orders before heading back out.

 

Nikki finally finishes up, she's weak from throwing up, maybe secretly staying up to finish the snacks so she could keep them to herself was a bad idea after all.

Nikki gets up weakly, her legs wobbly as if they were made of jello. She grabs onto the sink for balance as she pulls herself up. She meets her reflection in the mirror that hung above the bathroom sink, her hair was messy, her eyes were sunken and bloodshot and her face was pale and piratically colorless.

Nikki lets out a sigh, glad that everything was finally out of her system, even if it did leave her looking like a mess afterward.

Nikki turns on the faucet and cups some water into her hands the best she could with the terrible water pressure and washed her face to wake her up.

A knock on the bathroom door brings Nikki's attention, her head perks up.

“Nikki, you in here?” Gwen's voice asks from outside of the door.

Nikki walks up to the door and unlocks it to welcome Gwen in to talk “Yeah, come in”

Gwen steps in and closes the door behind her so no kids that may be wandering around come in.

“Nikki, are you okay? I saw you getting up earlier, you looked really uncomfortable” Gwen pointed out, knitting her eyebrows together in concern.

“What? No, I'm fine, honest!” Nikki lied, hoping Gwen couldn't tell she wasn't.  
Unfortunately, Gwen picked up her lie immediately.

“Nikki, you're obviously not fine” Gwen placed a hand on her hip, letting her free hand fall free to her side.

Gwen scanned the room to see what Nikki was doing before she came in.  
Water from the sink dripped all over the sink and floor, indicating she washed up at some point.  
The sink cabinet was open, she was looking for something (possibly medicine)  
And the toilet was left opened, luckily flushed.

“Nikki, have you been throwing up?” Gwen asked, mentally noting to take her into the counselor cabin to give her something to help with that.

“No!” Nikki protested, she anxiously looked around the room to find an excuse to get out before Gwen got devoted to telling David or Max that she had to go home.

Gwen nodded with disappointment before placing a hand on Nikki's forehead, which to her surprise, was not hot.

“No fever...” Gwen mumbled under her breath.

At that moment, a mental light bulb lit up above Gwen's head as soon as she connected a few dots in her head.

“Nikki, are you pregnant?” Gwen asks abruptly.

Nikki's expression goes blank at first, then she bursts into laughter.

“Pregnant? Gwen, you're hilarious, I don't think I could be” Nikki says in between chuckles, gasping for air in between each break she gave herself.

“Nikki, I'm serious. When was your last cycle?” Gwen asks Nikki, placing a hand on her shoulder to try to get through with her.

“Uhh...” Nikki trails off as she starts counting in her head.

Her stomach drops.

“May” Nikki blurts out, realization hitting her like a truck.

Nikki backs up and puts down the toilet so she could sit down to think.

Gwen watched as Nikki took in the possibility that she could, in fact, be pregnant.

 

“Listen, I'm going to go get something, you stay here for just a minute” Gwen instructs before sprinting to the counselor cabin.

 

Thankfully, Neil and Max had left at this point, leaving the cabin empty.  
Gwen opened her dresser and dug through some junk she kept in there.

Gwen pulls out a box of pregnancy tests, she kept them for when her cycles were late and she got paranoid.

She tucks the box under her shirt in an attempt to hide it from Max and David.  
If Nikki was pregnant, she should tell Max herself.  
And if David saw the box, it'd raise a million questions, it's too early to deal with a confused David right now.

 

Gwen sprinted back to the bathroom with hidden tests under her shirt, she knocked on the door and addressed herself and waited to be welcomed back in.  
“Come in” Nikki calls out from inside.

Gwen lets herself in, she locks the door behind her.  
She hands Nikki the box of tests, Nikki's expression reflected just how anxious she was for the answer.

“Okay, just take one out and uh… Y'know...” Gwen let out an awkward cough “I hope you drank enough fluids before hand” 

“Gwen!” Nikki shouts in response.

“Hey, I'm not joking” Gwen crossed her arms.

“Just...” Gwen pauses as she pinches the bridge of her nose “Read the instructions and do your thing while I wait outside, call me in once you finish the dirty work”

Nikki nods nervously, never taking her eyes off of the box.

 

A few minutes pass, Gwen and Nikki anxiously eye the test as they wait for results to show up, their glances only broke when they glanced at each other.

Gwen looked at her phone's timer, only a few seconds before the test was estimated to be ready.  
Gwen sat back, hoping that if she relaxed it would release some tension in the room that was built up.

Nikki's hands were folded in her lap, her eyes were locked on the test and she was completely silent. This was probably the most focused Gwen had seen her.

“Nikki, what do you want the test to read?” Gwen breaks the silence with a question.

“Um...” Nikki's eyes trail away from the test as she thinks.

What did she want? The question bounced around in Nikki's head for a moment.  
She wasn't opposed to the idea of starting a family at all, but at the same time, she wasn't sure how she'd do judging by how the platypus egg situation went.

“That's…” Nikki takes a deep breath to calm herself down “A good question, one that I'm not sure how to answer right now”

“Woah” Gwen blurts out “That was oddly mature of you”

Nikki thinks for a second about what she just said. “Yeah, I guess it was-”

Nikki's cut off by Gwen's timer.

The two look at each other, Nikki's super anxious at this point.  
They both lean in on the test to get a reading.

Two lines. The test is positive.

Nikki is speechless, she tried to form words to give out some sort of verbal reaction.

“Nikki, you're pregnant” Gwen mutters, not giving a positive or negative reaction before seeing Nikki's overall reaction.

“Well, shit, I guess I am” Nikki lets out.  
As if a switch flicked inside of Nikki, maternal instincts kicked in like they did with the platypus egg she was handed 12 years ago.

“I'm gonna be a mama!” Nikki cracks a small smile at the test.

“How do you think Max is gonna take it?” Nikki asks Gwen, placing a hand on her stomach.

Gwen thought to herself for a moment.  
She imagined the worst case scenario first (Him overreacting and dumping Nikki), the best case scenario (He cleans up his act and turns out to be the best father on earth), then the most likely scenario (“Really? That's nice” before realization hits him)

“It depends, I'd wait until he's in a good mood to explain it” Gwen suggests.

“Right, I'll wait a bit” Nikki nods with her arms crossed.

 

A moment of silence is exchanged before someone knocks on the door, causing the two women to look back at it as they share a confused expression.

Nikki hides the positive test in her hoodie pocket (even though the hoodie actually belonged to Max, but she claimed this one, too) and signaled Gwen to unlock the door with a nod.

Gwen unlocks the door and opens it, outside stands a little girl with crumbs from breakfast on her face and a toothbrush and toothpaste in her hands.

“Can I brush my teeth in here? The other bathroom is full and loud” The little girl asks, her head tilted to the side.

“I don't think so, wait your turn” Gwen pointed to the second bathroom that had kids crowded around it.

“Aw...” The little kid whines as she trails back to the camper bathroom.

 

 

About 10 minutes later, a cleaned up Nikki joins Max and Neil in her uniform shirt and red athletic shorts.

“Nikki, where were you? You almost missed breakfast” Neil asks with a concerned, but slightly relieved expression as he digs into his eggs

“I was in the bathroom doing… girl stuff” Nikki said awkwardly, trying to find the perfect excuse to get past Neil was hard.

“Oh, I gotcha” Neil shrugged and went back to his eggs, he'd rather not question what girl stuff was since he already dealt with it at home with Nerris (Who was safely at home away from any wild animals that could harm her and their daughter that was expected in September)

“By the way, Max is reheating some food for you since you took so long” Neil brought up, never looking up from his eggs.

“Aw, he is?” Nikki smiles as she leans her cheek into her hand, Max was such a sweetheart when he wanted to be (which unless you're Nikki, was rare)

“Go look for yourself” Neil points to the opening to the kitchen.  
Max leans over, seeing Nikki makes his face light up. He hurries with her breakfast and puts it on a tray.

Max dashes out of the kitchen with a skid, the reheated breakfast nearly slides off of the tray but thankfully his reflexes were quick and he slid the breakfast.

A few kids head over to Max “Can we have seconds?”

Max lifts the tray over his head out of their reach “No, Nikki hasn't eaten yet you little sh-” Max cuts himself off before he calls the kids little shits, David warned Max that he couldn't swear in front of the campers now that he was a counselor.

Max struggled to keep Nikki's breakfast away from the still hungry kids, Nikki was put off a little by the fact he would have easily called them little shits if he wasn't told otherwise, would he do that with their kid?

Max uses a leg to gently push the kids to the side “Wait til snack time!” The kids groan in defeat before running out of the mess hall to go play.

Max hands Nikki the tray of breakfast, the eggs and bacon on the plate were prepared to her liking (A little Tabasco for a kick on the eggs, followed by a shit ton of cheese and pepper so nobody would try to eat off of it)

“Kids, am I right?” Max tries to laugh off the situation, if there weren't a few kids left in the room he'd probably let out a few swears.

Nikki nervously laughs, should she tell him now?  
She still had the test, it was tucked away in her backpack in the counselor cabin so it wouldn't fall out while she was running around the camp grounds.

“Yep” Nikki forced a chuckle as she took the breakfast and sat down next to Neil.

 

The rest of the day felt short, Everyone mainly did their own thing aside from Nikki being asked to take a few kids on a hike or to play games.

Max managed to get pulled into lifeguard duty while a handful of kids went swimming in the lake, Max yelling “HEY, NO RUNNING ON THE DOCK!” and “YOU CAN'T EAT SEAWEED, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REMIND YOU?” echoed through the woods.

Neil got what was probably the smartest idea and put on a movie on his laptop and let the kids circle around one of the tables in the mess hall to watch with him.

 

The sun sets once again over Camp Campbell, the crickets start chirping, fireflies fly around the trees and owls hoot in the distance.  
David was telling a ghost story around the campfire, of course, he couldn't top Max's ghost story which left some kids shivering out of fear.

Nikki sat on a log next to Max, one of the kids that Max had scared was laying on Nikki, passed out.  
Nikki kept staring at Max, he was focused on David's lame excuse of a ghost story, laughing every once in a while at how terrible it was.

It felt like Nikki ate a rock for dinner because the pit in her stomach felt heavy, she was pregnant and the sleeping child that clung onto her kept reminding her that she needed to tell Max.

Gwen walks over to the campfire, she had just finished walking some kids to go get ready for bed, so she was checking to see who else was ready for bed.

Gwen tapped Nikki's shoulder, Nikki jumped slightly then looked up to see it was just Gwen.

“Let's get him to bed” Gwen suggested before helping Nikki up.

 

“Have you told Max yet?” Gwen asks Nikki as they walk away from the campers tents.

“Not yet, we've been separated all day and I've been waiting for some alone time” Nikki admits with a sigh, her arms crossed.

“Well, if you can pull him away from the campfire, that gives you an hour before David calls it a night to call it a night, but if you need to I could probably give him something to keep him busy” Gwen suggests.

“Yeah, I might ask him to follow me to the cabin, I don't know how much longer I can hide this from him before he realizes something's up” Nikki sighed, she wasn't that great at keeping secrets, or lying.

 

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Max asks as he sits on their bed, an eyebrow popped up in curiosity.

“Um, well…” Nikki nervously fumbled with her words, she tried forming the sentence that needed to be stated right away.

Nikki digs through her backpack and grabs the test, but she refused to show him yet.  
Nikki sits down next to Max, she takes a slow and deep breath.  
Max looks over at her, concern knitting his brows together.

“Nikki, is everything okay?” Max asks quietly and gently, she was about to say something huge, he could feel it now.

Tears start pricking Nikki's eyes, now was not the time to get choked up.

“Max, have you ever thought about having kids?” Nikki asks, refusing to meet eye contact.

Max's mouth was ajar, he never really thought about him and Nikki having kids, so the sudden question left him speechless.

“No, not really, why are you asking?” Max asks Nikki, realizing what she might tell him.

“Max...” Nikki pauses, she pulls herself together and hands him the test with a shaky hand “Max, I'm pregnant”

Max stares down at the test, two lines, it was positive.  
Nikki was pregnant, he was going to be a dad in 9 months, a fucking dad.

Max felt rare tears of his own prick his own eyes “Goddammit” He choked out.  
Nikki's head sharply turned in his direction, she didn't expect tears, this wasn't good.

“What?” Nikki nervously asked, expecting the worst.

“I'm gonna be a shitty dad, Nik” Max put the test in between their laps so he could cover his crying face.

Nikki was lost for words for a short moment, she focused on Max, who was now choking up tears.

Nikki placed a hand on his shoulder “We don't know that yet, Max-”

“You don't know that yet, but I do” Max wipes his runny nose with a sleeve. “I came from shitty parents, I'm going to be just like them and fuck this whole thing over”

Nikki sighs, she tries to find the right words to use to make him feel better.

“Max, you're not your parents, you don't know if you're going to be a bad parent or not but that's okay!” Max looks over at Nikki, she greets him with a comforting smile.

“You have the choice to be better than they were, Max, you'll be fine.” Nikki comforts Max with a hug, Max is staring at the test again.

“Yeah, I guess so” Max mumbles in response, still taking what she said in.

 

“Remember when we were 10 and we were incubating those platypus eggs? Right before the little platypus baby got eaten you told me that there wasn't a right way to be a parent, remember?” Nikki reminded Max, Max responded with a small smirk.

“Yeah well, when I was 10 I said I didn't love anything but here you are proving me wrong” Max drapes an arm around Nikki's shoulders as he pulls her into his side and pecks the top of her head, Nikki's face flushes into a deep red.

Nikki places a hand on her stomach, Max places his hand on top of hers.  
“I think you're going to be a great dad” Nikki says with a sigh as she's leaned up against Max.

“Thanks,” Max said in a hushed voice.

Max began thinking to himself, various thoughts scattered around his head.  
In about 9 months he could call himself a father, in a year or two, he was going to be called dad by his own child.

Max never thought of himself to be the fatherly type at all, he was a generally hot headed person who could run their mouth like a sailor, so the idea of a kid living with him was definitely a new concept for him to consider.

And yet, the idea of Max having to chase after his own kid in their little apartment made his heart flutter. He'd never admit it, but he loved babies. They were easy to entertain, small, and overall adorable. Happy little thoughts of Max with his kid begin to buzz in his head, leaving a small smirk on his lips.

 

Max sighs deeply as he leans his head on Nikki's and holds one of her hands, feeling like everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all are wondering, my sister ships Neil and Nerris, so I'm making them a couple here lmao
> 
> ALSO!! I'm going on a road trip to Kansas/Nebraska to see that eclipse so there might be a pause?? or I'll write more because I'll probably be bored outta my mind


	4. The Big Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a few days of waiting, Max and Nikki break the news to Neil and David.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this took a while, I got writer's block shortly after uploading chapter three and I'm on my way back from vacation as I type right now (I saw the full eclipse, it was rad af)

“Wait, Nikki, you're pregnant?” Neil drops his clipboard, his jaw dropped and his eyes were wide with shock.

“Mhmm, surprise!” Nikki flashed a smile at Neil, Neil looked at Nikki, then at Max.

“For real?” Neil asks Max with narrowed eyes and disbelief.

“Yep” Max gave a confirming nod as he draped an arm around Nikki.

“I didn't think you'd want any kids, Max” Neil assumed, adjusting his glasses as he picked up his clipboard.

“Why wouldn't I?” Max asks, crossing his arms.

“When you were ten you tried chucking an egg you and Nikki were incubating to make it 'disappear', you nearly called the kids little shits and you constantly complain about working here” Neil reminded Max, raising a brow in a disappointed gesture.

“How would you like working at a job in the heat away from civilization for 3 months with little pay?” Max asked, his signature scowl knitting his brows together.

“Yeah, I guess you have a point” Neil bobbed his head as he registered what Max said “I don't know, you don't seem like father material”

“And what does that mean?” Max's scowl intensified at what Neil said.

“Max, calm down” Nikki placed a hand on his shoulder, Max's scowl lightened up.

“I don't know why, but the idea of you with a baby just doesn't add up” Neil shrugged “At least, not right now”

“Why not now?” Nikki asked, her head tilted in a confused matter.

“You two haven't even gotten married yet, you're still engaged” Neil pointed to their engagement rings, Nikki's eyes grew wide in realization.

“Oh yeah, we're getting to that part” Nikki stuffed her left hand in the pocket of her shorts.

“Speaking of- Max, have you asked David about hosting the wedding here yet?” Neil asked. Max threw his head back “No, we haven't even told him we're getting married”

“Max!” Neil spat out “You need to tell him and ask him before the baby is here because planning a wedding around a baby won't be easy”

Max groaned “Fine, I'll go ask him right now, but only because if I don't do it soon you're going to be on my ass until I do” Max's brows knitted together as he angrily stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket.

“And we should probably tell him about the baby, that kinda sounds important” Nikki shrugs, Max lets out another groan.

“Ugh, he's probably going to fucking cry when we tell him” Max kicks the dirt underneath him “If we're lucky he'll explode out of happiness and die”

“That'd be super cool!” Nikki's eyes light up at the thought “Do you think somebody could die from being that happy?”

“Probably not,” Neil added in “If that were to happen, David would be dead already”

“Yeah, you got a point” Max said as he and Nikki nodded in unison.

 

Nikki runs ahead of Max in David's direction, David was struggling to put up signs and posters for the activities for the next day with an old stapler.

Max sprinted as he tried to catch up to his fiance, but it was hard to outrun Nikki (especially since she was an elementary school P.E teacher and chasing kids around a gym was half of her job)

“David!” Nikki yelled before tackling the taller lanky redhead.  
David let out an “oof” as he was pushed back by the tackle hug, but wore a wide smile to greet Max and Nikki with.

Max catches up with Nikki, his hands were nervously fidgeting with lint inside of his hoodie pockets.  
“Well hello, Nikki, what's going on?” David asks with a wide smile as he finds his balance again.

“Nothing much, we just had to ask you something” Nikki replied as a small smirk curled her lips.

David's head tilted as he raised a suspicious brow “What is it, Nikki?”

“We were wondering if we could reserve that clearing where The Order of the Sparrow ceremony was held for a day after camp ends this year” Nikki looks back at Max, she bobs her head towards David, signaling him to come over.

“How come?” David asks. He's pretty sure whatever they were planning was something mischievous.

Nikki hooks arms with Max, “Well, Max and I are getting married in September and we were wondering if we could reser-” David interrupts her with the largest gasp he's given out in a long time.

“You two are getting married?” David grabs Nikki's arms out of excitement “Mhmm!” Nikki nods with a smile “But that's not where the fun ends” Nikki raises a brow and looks at Max.

Max lets out a deep sigh, preparing for David to flip his shit “And we're pregnant, so we kinda need to have this wedding asap”

Just as Max had predicted, David's second gasp was louder and deeper than his previous one “AND YOU'RE HAVING A BABY?!” David's eyes were glossy, Max let out another sigh “Yeeeep, I'm just as surprised as you are”

“This is so much, but of course you can have your wedding here!” David fanned his eyes as he let out a sniffle.

Max's eyes were wide open for a moment due to David's fast answer. He shook his head and stared at David.  
“Oh, don't you have to, like, go over this with Campbell?” Max asked with a raised brow.

David was silent for a short moment, he stared down at the dirt at his boots.

“No, not since I inherited the camp last year” David sighed as he looked up to the clouds “Mr. Campbell bit the dust around this time last year, he lost a game of Russian roulette and I was in his will”

“Oh...” Max looked down, he felt pity for David, which was new.

Nikki's eyes stung with the tears that began to prick her usually dry eyes “Oh, David, th-that's just so sad” Nikki sniffled along with David, Max gave Nikki a suspicious look “What the fuck was that?”

Nikki and David turn to Max, tears began streaming down her cheeks “I-I don't know, mood swings?” Nikki used the back of her wrist to dry her eyes, Max's brows knitted in concern, Nikki rarely cried so seeing her upset was a rare occasion.

“Yeah, the camp hasn't been the same since Mr. Campbell left us, but I bet he's up there somewhere, hopefully proud of me for keeping the camp in great condition” David wiped a tear from his eye as he propped his free hand on his hip.

“He definitely is” Nikki pats David's back, he gave her a nod of appreciation.  
Max scratched his hairline awkwardly, not sure how to register the fact that his fiance, who rarely cried, was crying.

But Max had to admit, the camp was in better condition since when he was a kid. The plumbing worked, first aid kits were up to date, hell, they even built a few cabins for the campers to sleep in instead of those cheap tents Max, Neil and Nikki slept in as kids.

 

As Nikki and David go on with their pity party, a loud boom comes from the other side of camp, causing the three counselors to whip their heads in that direction.

Max's eyes were wide open out of shock, he crossed his arms as he looked at David. “Was that-”

“Fireworks for explosive safety camp? Yeah, it sounds like it” David's mouth was ajar as he stared at the rising smoke in awe.

“Uhh, we should probably go get the fire extinguishers” Nikki suggested, wiping her damp cheek.

“Agreed.” Max and David said in unison before all three of them ran to grab fire extinguishers.

 

 

After a good lecture from David, Nikki and Max were left to help put bandages on the two girls that set off the fireworks in the first place.  
This wasn't a new job for Max and Nikki, they had to help Nikki put on bandages after football games all the time at home.

Max turned to one girl, his brows knitted together as he brought over a wet washcloth to wash the dirt off of a scab she got from being thrown back by the blast.  
“Daisy, why on earth would you set off fireworks in the middle of the day?” Max questioned, holding back his language as David requested multiple times.

“We were bored! There's nothing to do here!” Daisy squeaked back in protest, wincing once the warm, damp washcloth came in contact with her scabbing wound.

“You know there's a lot to do here, ask David to sing the camp song when we're done here” Nikki reminded the girl as she grabbed bandages from the medicine cabinet.

“Correction: There's nothing fun to do here” The second girl, Danielle, corrected her friend with a huff.

“That may be true, but you can't just set off fireworks” Max argued as Nikki handed him the triple antibiotic. “At least, not during the day. Wait til it's dark out, then you get a light show and a lecture”

“Max!” Nikki yelled as she gently smacked the back of his head, Max chuckled under his breath “I was just kidding”

Max opened the small cap to the triple antibiotic, squeezing a small drop onto Daisy's scab. He used a clean hand to spread it out evenly.

“Come on, you can't really blame us! You always choose the boring camps to do!” Daisy crossed her arms as dramatically as a 9-year-old could possibly do.

“Yeah, who would even willingly go to underwater basket weaving camp?” Danielle protested, waving her little hands in the air angrily.

“This camp is a snooze fest, I wanna go home” Daisy scoffed as she threw her head back angrily.

Max frowned angrily as he tried putting a band aid on the restless child, his brows lowered intensely as he huffed out a deep sigh.  
“So do I, kid, but unfortunately we're barely half way through camp. Now, stay still so we can get this over with.”

Nikki began to work on Danielle as Max struggled with Daisy, Nikki placed a hand on Max's shoulder, he looked over at her and sighed before giving her a thankful smile.

“Okay, if you hold still and let us finish, we'll get you a snack from the pantry, anything you want, how's that sound?” Max offered, Daisy's eyes lit up and she nodded rapidly.

Max gave her a smirk, shrugging smugly “Perfect, now hold still”

 

“So, any name ideas yet?” Gwen asks behind her magazine before taking a bite of spaghetti.

Max and Nikki exchanged looks for a moment before looking at Gwen (Only, of course, to be greeted by her magazine) “No, we only found out the kid existed a few days ago” Max answered uncertainly, not sure if he should even attempt to make eye contact with her magazine.

Max scooted a meatball around his plate with his fork awkwardly, he was still trying to get a grip on the concept that he was going to be a dad. He wasn't against it by any means, he just didn't expect to be responsible for a kid of his own now.

Max looked at Nikki, making comforting eye contact, then his eyes fell onto her stomach, which for now, was still its normal size, but by the end of camp, she'd come back home with a bump for sure.

Max looked back down at his dinner, he huffed out a deep sigh and closed his eyes as he got lost in thought. He realized what he had to do next.

Call his dad.

“What's wrong?” Nikki asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it to soothe him.  
Max looked up, blinking his eyes a few times to come back to reality. “Um, nothing.” He lied as he played with the drawstrings of his hoodie to try to ease his thoughts. Max looked out the window, then to his phone. He felt a pit in his stomach form, but he ignored it as he grabbed his phone and stood up.  
“I'll be right back, I need to make a call” Max mumbled before exiting the mess hall.

Outside, it was dark, chilly, and lonely. Fog rolled over near the wood scouts share of the lake, that always confused Max, but it wasn't something to worry about at that moment.  
Max walked over to the pier, the moonlight and the twinkling of the fireflies reflected off of the water as frogs near the lake croaked their songs, it was serene enough to calm Max a little bit.  
Max pulled his phone out of his hoodie pocket, he pressed his thumb over the button to turn it on. He sighed as he slid his thumb over the phone icon, it took him to his contacts.  
Max anxiously scrolled through his contacts, once he got to the D section, it listed multiple familiar contacts. A few of them were high school friends, some of them college mates, then it was his dad, followed by David right underneath him.  
Max eyed his father's contact nervously, his thumb hovered right above his contact picture.  
His father looked a lot like him, they had the same black and curly hair, mean scowl, and piercing mint eyes that could make anyone freeze out of pure fear.  
His father was the reason Max was a lawyer in the first place, Max would have been an undeclared major if his father hadn't stepped in and suggested law school. But of course, his father didn't care enough to lend him some money to send him to a fancy one, so Max settled on going to Sleepy Peak Community College since it was the best he could afford.

Max let out a deep sigh before pressing call. He already called his father last month to tell him that he was getting married to Nikki, now he had to break the news that he got her pregnant, too.

“Hello?” An annoyed voice asks from the other line.  
Max sighs as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Hey, dad. I have to tell you something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whenever I need kids for whatever reason, I'm just gonna insert my ocs as fillers lmao
> 
> By the way, I have a tumblr :0) https://campcampqueen.tumblr.com/tagged/camp-camp-next-gen  
> Don't bother going in if you don't want any spoilers for what happens next (despite this being a prequel fic)


	5. Late Night Cravings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1 AM is usually the time where everyone in camp is fast asleep in their beds, but not tonight for Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter has spoilers for the season 2 finale "Parents Day", please wait to read til you watch if you want to avoid spoilers!! (And please watch it when it airs on youtube/rooster teeth first multiple times so we can get a third season!!)

1 AM is usually the time where everyone in camp is fast asleep in their beds, but not tonight for Max.

Nikki had been restless lying in their bunk, it's been about 3-4 weeks since she found out she was pregnant and her cravings were at an all time high late at night.  
Her cravings usually consisted of sweets like pudding or brownies, you know, anything that required Max to get up in the middle of the night to make sweets for Nikki in the kitchen.

 

“Max” Nikki whispered as she shook Max's shoulder “Maaax”

Max lifted his head up, curly locks were in every direction from him tossing around on the cheap mattress to try and get comfortable.

“Yeah?” Max asked with a deep and sleepy yawn, although he already knew what she wanted.

“I'm hungry, can you make me something?” Nikki avoided eye contact out of embarrassment, she would have silently got up to make something herself but Max was the one that did all the cooking and baking back home.

Max gave her a sleepy nod as he pulled out his charging phone, the time read '1:26 AM' over a picture of him and Nikki in their graduation gowns. He flopped himself out of bed and slipped on a pair of sandals he brought to camp for walking around in.

Nikki slips on a pair of flip flops and follows Max out of the cabin, if it weren't for David's strict “No food in the cabin” rule she would have waited in bed for Max to bring food to her, but the idea of alone time in the mess hall with snacks were definitely up her alley.

 

Max turned on the flashlight feature on his phone, the bright light quickly flickered on and helped lead the short walk to the mess hall. 

The camp grounds were always beautiful at night, but when a flashlight comes into the picture everything has a cryptic vibe to it. Without the screaming of the campers, crashes and other various sounds that emitted from the long list of camps they did, the camp was silent (of course, there was always that beautiful blend of sounds that nature produced to keep some calming sounds)

 

“So, what are you hungry for?” Max asked as he looked at Nikki. She took a moment to think to herself before her eyes lit up. “Brownies!”

Max gave her a nod before he rubbed his eyes to rid them of what sleep was left in them. “Brownies sound really fucking good right now” Max mumbled sleepily to himself as they continued their walk to the mess hall.

 

Max opened one of the heavy steel doors to the mess hall, it creaked as it slowly opened. The light from Max's phone illuminated a few feet ahead of them, allowing a few empty benches that David had lined up perfectly after dinner to be revealed in the light.

Nikki flicked the light switch, the few ceiling lights that lined the room flickered to life, leaving a cheap, hazy yellow color that lit up half of the mess hall. Max and Nikki winced as their eyes adjusted to the bright(ish) lights.

Nikki sat herself down on one of the dining benches in the mess hall. It was cold, hard, and rather uncomfortable to sit on when you were tired and hungry.

Max made his way in between benches into the kitchen, he, of course, had to hop over various scraps from the camp activity they did earlier in the day.

Max flicked on the light switch to the mess hall kitchen, the light bulb flickered for a second before illuminating the smaller half of the building.

As he grabbed one of the aprons off of the hooks and threw it over his shoulder, then he placed his phone on the counter next to the stove. Max then preheated the oven to 350°F.

The camp oven was old and outdated, the light inside of the oven that allowed you to see your food as it cooked was busted, leaving the inside dark as he opened the oven to check for any pots and pans that may have been stored.

Max quickly tied the apron around his waist, it was old and stained from many summers of cooking and baking.

Max turned to the sink, he washed his hands as the many signs that health inspectors hung up during their visits suggested. The water pressure sucked less than he remembered, David must have gotten that fixed when he inherited Camp Campbell.

As he dried his hands off with a paper towel, Max proceeded to search the cupboards for all of the ingredients that weren't in the fridge.

Off of one shelf, he grabbed the sugar, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and flour. On the next, he grabbed the vanilla extract and vegetable oil.  
All of the shelved ingredients left his arms full, but luckily he was just going to place them down on the counter below the cupboards anyway.

Underneath the sink was the cupboard that stored the mixing bowls and pans. Max grabbed the first mixing bowl that he saw, then a 9×9 pan. On the right of the sink was the container that contained multiple utensils, he grabbed a silicone spatula and a whisk.

Max peeked over the window curiously when he realized how silent it was, looking over, Nikki's chin was in her hand as she propped herself up, she was probably trying to catch up on lost sleep as Max baked.

A sleeping Nikki meant that Max was left to bake alone with his thoughts, which in all honesty, was how almost all of his baking was done. Alone.  
Max let out a tired sigh as he walked over to the fridge to grab a couple of eggs.  
Opening the fridge was always nice considering how hot it was inside of the badly air conditioned cabins, the blast of cold air that rolled out every time you opened it was like a little treat.

Grabbing the eggs from the carton brought him flashbacks of the platypus eggs, mainly just what people quoted him doing with his egg.

God, the egg.

He hated thinking about that egg, the way he treated it as if he didn't care about it. As if he had better things to do than taking care of it like he was supposed to.

To be honest, the only reason he treated the egg like that was because that's how he was treated back at home, like how his parents didn't care. Up until David and Gwen pretended to be his parents on parent day 12 years ago he had no real idea what if felt like to have parents that cared for you.

After that night he found himself wishing they were his real parents on multiple occasions, feeling cared for was such a new feeling to him but it was amazing.

Whenever David ruffled his hair, instead of him scowling and adjusting it right away, he cherished it.  
Whenever he carried him, instead of kicking and demanding to be let go of, he allowed it. Sometimes, he'd even hold on tight as if it were a hug.

Gwen was great, too.   
Sure, she wasn't necessarily 'motherly', but the fact she respected his privacy and let him know that she did care meant the world to him.

The fact that they showed more care towards him in a matter of hours versus his entire childhood really stood out to him.

 

Max let out an irritated sigh as he looked back at Nikki, then at her stomach. “I'm not screwing up this parenting gig” He mumbled to himself.

Max stopped for a moment in his tracks. Why did he call it a gig? This wasn't going to be like one of Preston's cheap and shitty plays, it's a baby, it's his baby.

He threw his head back as he ran his fingers through his curly locks, his hand trailed down from his hair to his face, all the way down to his Adam's Apple.

This was real, the baby was real. He sometimes couldn't believe it, but it was getting harder and harder to forget as weeks went by.

Nikki was around 9 weeks pregnant, and a bump was already making itself present.  
Sure, it was small and subtle, but it was still a bump nonetheless.

David had already made a trip into town only to return hours later with a thick book about parenting and pregnancy, and according to the book, the baby was around the size of cherries. How fun.

Max tried to act like it wasn't a big deal, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't read it every time he had the chance to sit down.

 

Max shook his head to clear his thoughts, he needed to focus on baking. That's why he was in the mess hall kitchen at 1 AM.

Max carefully placed the two eggs on the counter, hoping they wouldn't roll off and crack on the floor. Granted, even if he did break some eggs, the platypus would probably come over and eat them like the animal it was.

Max grabbed the final items necessary for baking, the nonstick spray, the measuring cups, and spoons.

 

First, he had to mix the oil and sugar, he grabbed the whisk and he gently tossed it in the air for flare. After baking for years he picked up little tricks to do with the utensils, even if they were small and basic.

He blended the oil and sugar, it ended up in a thick, sticky, syrupy consistency.  
Next, the eggs and vanilla.

He gently tapped an egg on the mixing bowl's rim, once he had a good few crack in it he split the egg open to empty its contents. He repeated the process with the second egg before putting the empty shells in a bin which would go out to the composter for gardening camp.

Max picks up the measuring spoons, he picked out the teaspoon and poured the vanilla extract. It smelled very sweet, but from experience (Well, Nikki's experience to be specific) he knew that drinking straight up vanilla extract was a bad idea because of how strong it was.

Max picked up the whisk and bowl, then he began stirring the mixture.

He knew this recipe like the back of his hand, he first learned it when he was 9.

 

His parents were arguing over something stupid in the living room, he got scared and retreated to the kitchen to get away from their yelling. His parents kept a small TV on the counter so that while they cooked they could watch the news or something.

Max turned on the TV while they were fighting in the living room, a baking show was on and they were making one of Max's favorite desserts, brownies.

As they listed the ingredients, he rushed to grab them.  
He thought that if he could distract his parents with dessert, they'd stop.

Of course, he was wrong, but at least he learned to make brownies.  
He kept the recipe in the back of his mind in case he ever needed to cheer himself up with a treat again.

 

Max stopped whisking the wet ingredients, it's time to add in the dry ones.

He measured out the salt, flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder, then poured them into a separate bowl to mix together in a dry blend.

Once the dry ingredients were all stirred, Max poured it into the wet ingredients' bowl.  
After whisking them together for a few minutes, it ended up as familiar brownie batter.

Max greased the pan and poured the batter into it, it smelled very sweet and he was almost tempted to try some, but he knew that eating raw eggs was not a good idea from an experience Nikki had with cooking camp when she was 11 (AKA: Her first experience with salmonella. That was fun to clean up.)

He popped the pan into the oven and timed it for 20 minutes, although he was going to let it cool for at least 10 more so that Nikki wouldn't burn her tongue on a hot brownie (again)

 

 

Half an hour later, Max cuts up the cooled brownies and puts them on a plate. He took off the ingredient covered apron and grabbed his phone and stuffed it into the pocket of his flannel pajama pants.  
He brought the plate to the table that Nikki fell asleep at, God, Nikki looked so cute when she slept (If you ignored the drool that pooled under her face)

Max gently shook her shoulder, Nikki looked up with uneven blinks as she faced the man that woke her up.

Nikki rubbed the sleep out of her eye with a fist, “Are the brownies ready?” She asked sleepily through a yawn.

“Mhmm, just how you like them” Max referred to the powdered sugar that was sprinkled on top of them, Nikki's eyes lit up as she gave Max the best smile she could manage from her still sleepy state.  
She pressed a kiss to his cheek, his cheek flushed as he found himself dumbfounded.   
“Thanks, Max! You're the best” Nikki flashed him a thankful smile before taking a bite out of one of the brownies.

Max tugged at the collar of his sweatshirt as his face flushed redder and redder. “Anytime, love” Max replied, moonstruck from the kiss. He placed his own kiss on the top of her head before grabbing a brownie of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can y'all tell I literally used the first brownie recipe I could find?? Cause I did
> 
> Also, Max calls Nikki "Love" because I call my datefriend (Who's kin with Nikki) "Nikki, my love" so that's a little reference I wanted to throw in there


	6. Wedding Bells and Empty Seats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day Max and Nikki were waiting for, their wedding day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for taking a while to update this. I wanted it to be perfect (And I've also never been to a wedding, I had to do research lmaooo)

Max inhaled sharply as he anxiously adjusted his bow-tie for what felt like the twelfth time since he put it on in the first place. He opened his eyes to meet his tuxedo donned reflection in the floor mirror of the counselor's cabin.

Today was the day, the big day. He was marrying the love of his life today, his heart fluttered with excitement as his stomach did somersaults. It felt like it had only been days since he proposed in the first place, it was almost unreal to him.

 

“Aren't you excited, Max?” David asks as he combed his red hair back neatly, he was also in a tuxedo, a bow tie of his own replaced his bandanna.

Max silently nodded, he fidgeted with his cufflinks in an attempt to keep them clasped, David noticed his attempts and made his way over to help. “They're a little tricky, aren't they?” David gave Max a reassuring chuckle as he helped clasp the cuffs.

“Thanks, David” Max thanked, giving him the best smile he could manage in his state of anxiety/excitement. David patted Max's back, “anytime, bud.”

 

Max looked back at Neil, who was in a tuxedo of his own and his curly brown locks were gelled down to tame them. He was reading over the speech he had written weeks prior to the wedding. Days after Max proposed to Nikki, he naturally asked Neil to be his best man, so with that, Neil began writing and rewriting the perfect speech.

Max was Neil's best man at his own wedding, that was fun. Nikki got drunk off of some cocktail that was based on a potion from Pixies and Pythons, of course Nerris would have a menu based off of P&P, her love of that game stuck to her as she grew up (Granted, she's now working for the company that makes it, she's a character designer or something like that)

“I wonder how the girls are doing in the mess hall” Neil threw out between mumbles that he kept to himself about the speech. Max shrugged as he paced over to Neil “I don't know, probably girl stuff”

Nikki, Gwen, Nerris (and her and Neil's baby, Nancy), and Nikki's mother, Candy, were all in the mess hall to help Nikki get into her dress and all that jazz. Nerris was Nikki's maid of honor (Of course, if Ered wasn't busy with her job, Nikki would probably have asked her at the drop of a hat) and Gwen, along with being a bridesmaid, was doing a lot of behind the scenes work to get this wedding in order on such short notice.

“I think Gwen mentioned that they were adjusting her dress?” David tapped his shoe on the ground as he tried to remember what Gwen told him prior.  
“I can only imagine what Nikki's dress looks like right now” David threw out, “It must be lovely, her mother helped her pick it out” 

Max gave a silent nod, he softly smiled as he looked out the window to see the mess hall.

 

“Aaand… Done!” Gwen exclaimed as she pulled away a makeup brush from Nikki's face. Nikki had subtle makeup on, mainly just lipstick and a touch of shadow and mascara since her cheeks were already naturally rosy, to begin with.

Nikki stood up and stood in front of the mirror that was brought in. Her bangs were swept and pinned to the side with a rose, her dress was long and flowy, it was a creme white and faded gently into a subtle dusty rose color. Her lipstick matched the darker color of her dress and her eyelashes were more pronounced than usual thanks to the mascara.

“Super pretty!” Nerris complemented with a smile, a Lisp still present in her voice. She was currently bouncing Nancy on her knee cautiously, hoping that she wouldn't get sick on her dress. Nancy was nearly a year old and barely walking, if she was able to, she would have definitely been the flower girl.

“I can't believe my baby's getting married, and having a baby of her own! Nicholette, you're making mama feel old over here” Candy hugged her daughter, she looked so much like her now (Well, minus the graying hair and wrinkles that were etched on her face)

“Thanks, mom” Nikki thanked as she hugged her mom, giving her a warm smile that she couldn't see behind her back. Her bump (Which was nearing the end of her first trimester) was starting to get in the way of hugs, so Nikki had to gain some control over how tightly she could hug people.

 

Slowly, guests start rolling into lake lilac in formal wear. Some of them were friends, some were old campers, others were family members.

Nikki's family were all excited that their little Nicholette was getting married, a few close members were able to sneak into the mess hall to come get some pictures and hugs in (This was the perfect time for Nikki to announce her pregnancy to anyone that hasn't been told yet, her family was huge, after all)

Max and Nikki agreed to wait until the ceremony started to see each other (Nikki said something about the element of surprise?), Nikki stuck around the activities field where the photo opportunities were at so her family could all get pictures with her. Max and Neil hung around where the amphitheater was, they mainly just goofed around and had small conversations with anyone that swung by to say hello. 

“Hey, guys!” A familiar voice called out from the path, it was space kid (Or well, now everyone calls him Armstrong to avoid confusion with Neil (and the fact he wasn't a kid anymore)) Max and Neil's eyes lit up, aside from Nikki, Armstrong was really close with both of them. Max related to him because his parents didn't show up on parents day, and Neil and Armstrong had the same names and were both sciencey in some sense.

 

“Armstrong! How've you been?” Max asked with a genuine smile, one of his brows cocked up. Armstrong gave him a tight squeeze “I'm great, I got a promotion at work last week!”

“No shit, really?” Neil asked, his eyes wide. Armstrong nodded, “Yahuh! I'm a tour guide at the space museum now!”

“That's great, Armstrong” Max replied with a nod, Armstrong nodded back before putting his hands on his hips in pride. “I'll get back to space one day, I just know it”

 

Max looked past Neil and Armstrong, it looked like all of the guests had arrived at this point.  
Well, almost everyone. Max's parents were nowhere to be seen so far, they wouldn't miss something as big as their son's wedding, would they? 

Max excused himself so he could step away from Neil and Armstrong, they continued on with their conversation as Max slipped away.

 

Max leaned up against a tree as he stared at Lake Lilac, the sun reflected off of the waving waters and every once in a while a few fish would come to the surface and cause the water to ripple. Max pulled out his phone, scrolled through some contacts to find his dad's number and hit 'call'.

After the phone rang on for an uncomfortable length, his father finally picked up with a familiar annoyed tone in his voice. “Hello?”

Max's brows furrowed as his free hand clenched into a fist at his side. “Hey, are you forgetting something?” Max asked rather loudly, making it clear he wasn't happy with his shitty excuse of a father.

Max's father sighed, “Maxwell, don't play this game with me. Just,” He paused as he let out another sigh, “Just tell me what you fucking want from me and get it over with”

Max breathed in a sharp, long breath. His fist hit the bark of the oak tree he was leaning on. “It's my wedding day, dad. I fucking figured you'd actually fucking act like the parent you're supposed to be and at least make a fucking attempt to show up!”

“Maxwell Thomas Jones,” His father growled out, “I did not raise you to speak with me that way-”

“But no,” Max interrupted in rage as he stepped away from the tree to allow himself to pace around, “You have to be such a poor fucking excuse of a 'dad' that you can't even show up for one of the most important days of my life!”

Max's father was quiet, too quiet. Max was sure he either shut him up for good or gave him a heart attack. Either way, he didn't care.

Max leaned back against the tree hard, causing it to sway under his weight slightly. “And I take it mom didn't even bother opening the invitation, did she?”

There was an awkward cough on the other line, “No, she didn't.”

Max scoffed, “Of fucking course, she didn't...” Max groaned as his hand (which was still sore from hitting the tree) trailed down his face to ease his angered expression.

“Can you blame her? I wouldn’t want to show up to some planned disaster, either.” His father said dully. Max's piercing green eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

His brows furrowed as his hand curled itself back into a fist. “Planned disaster?” Max said through clenched teeth. 

Max inhaled sharply once more in an attempt to calm himself down before he chucked his phone into the lake out of pure rage. “Fine. If that's what you'll call it, then I guess you're better off not coming after all.”

“Good fucking bye, dad.” Max snarled before hanging up.

 

Max threw his head back, it hit hard against the bark, which admittedly, hurt a little.  
He was silent as he cooled down after the heated argument, but a faint “Max” broke the silence.

David stood there, rubbing his neck awkwardly as he donned a concerned expression. Looks like he heard some, if not all, of the argument he just had. Max's expression went from an angry one to a sad one in a matter of seconds. 

“Max, are you okay?” David asked sympathy and concern painted over his usually cheer stained voice “Do you need to talk about it?”

Max didn't make eye contact, but he nodded, signaling David to lean against the tree with him.

“So, I take it that was your dad?” David asked, looking at what ever Max's eyes tried to focus on (it appeared to be a rock that was stained from a game of paint ball that happened during camp)

Max huffed out a sigh before dragging both hands down his face “Mhmm” He hummed sternly, clearly still angry from the exchange.

David frowned at Max, Max looked up at David, his eyes were glossy.  
“My mom… She called it a planned disaster… And my dad's not even coming” Max explained, looking back down at the grass at his shoes so David couldn't see just how upset this got him.

“Max...” David said softly, “I'm so sorry-” He was cut off by Max crashing into him, hugging him tightly as if he really needed one at that moment. David was speechless, he hadn't gotten a hug like that from Max since they were outside of that pizzeria during parents day.

David patted Max's head, Max didn't bother protesting against it, he wasn't in the mood to be angry anymore.  
Max held on for about a minute, probably the longest hug he's ever given David. It was silent aside from reassuring words from David and sniffles from Max here and there. He clearly needed that hug.

Max finally pulled away and faced David, David gave him a reassuring smile that Max returned to his surprise. Max wiped his damp eyes with the back of his wrist before taking a deep breath to ground himself.

 

“Feel better?” David asked as he put a hand on Max's shoulder, he nodded “I am now, yeah”

“Good, good...” David trailed off as he stared at his watch “Oh, we better get going, we have to be up there in 10 minutes” David reminded before the two sprinted to the altar area.

 

This was it, in a moment Nikki was going to walk down the aisle. In another moment they were going to exchange vows. In the next, they're going to kiss and be wed.

Max bounced nervously on his heels, his hands were folded as he stood next to Neil.  
Max looked out in the crowd, it was mainly friends but a good hand full of Nikki's family made it for her. Granted, a few of Max's cousins came which surprised Max. 

Then, Max looked at the two empty seats near the front row. Each had a sign that read “Reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Jones”. Max definitely got his hopes up prior to the wedding as if they actually gave two shits about their son. But, once he turned 18, he was the world's problem.

 

A moment (Not necessarily silent due to the guests chattering on in their seats) passes, then out she came.

One of Nikki's arms were interlocked with Davids (He had to take her fathers place in walking her down the aisle due to her father's passing years prior), she held a rose bouquet, the roses matched the one rose that was tucked above her ear and her dress barely swept the ground.

If Max had a chance to speak in that moment, he wouldn't have been able to. He felt his jaw faintly drop as she walked down the aisle, his eyes lit up and his hands unfolded as one of his hands covered his ajar mouth.

David let go of Nikki and she took her place beside Max. She looked over at him and flashed a smile, he blinked a few times to break himself out of the trance she managed to put him in and returned one.

 

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Maxwell Thomas Jones and Nicolette Marie Sanders in matrimony commended to be honorable among all-”

 

Later, after the opening reading and definition of a wedding, the time came for the vows.

Max cleared his throat, then he held onto Nikki's hands. “I, Maxwell Jones, Take you, Nicolette Sanders, to be my lawfully wedded wife. For better or for worse, for richer, or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part”

Nikki smiled, she could remember Max rehearsing the vows when he thought he was alone. “And I, Nicholette Sanders, take you, Maxwell Jones, to be my lawfully wedded husband. For better or for worse, for richer, or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part”

 

“And now, the rings,” The pastor says, Max grabbed one of the rings that laid on the pillow that one of Nikki's younger relatives held. The rings Max and Nikki decided on were gold with an oak wood inlay, it looked classy but rugged at the same time. Max wanted Nikki to always have a part of the woods with her at all times, even if it was just in her wedding ring. 

Max looks up at Nikki, they make eye contact for a short moment before Max slips a ring on Nikki's ring finger. Nikki smiled softly before grabbing the last ring from the pillow, she slipped it onto Max's ring finger. Nikki looked back up at Max, he found himself smiling at her.

 

“Now, a word from the couple. Maxwell, go ahead” The pasture nodded at Max, he returned a nod before clapping his hands.

Max took a sharp breath, he lost count how many times he's sharply breathed today.

 

“12 years ago, my parents signed me up for Camp Campbell to get rid of me for 3 months, I figured I was going to spend my entire summer alone in a shitty summer camp with one overly cheerful counselor and another one that was too busy trying to keep the other kids, myself included, from burning down the camp. But then, the bus dropped off two new campers. They were my best friends and my bride and man of honor. They ended up making that summer one of the best summers I've ever had.” 

Max looked back at the crowd, David looked proud, Neil was smiling, Gwen chuckled a few times when Max talked about how she handled the campers. Max looked at the empty reserved seats, he blinked and looked down.

“Life at home sucked, a lot. Once I turned 18 I moved out to go to college at Sleepy Peak Community College. At student orientation, there she was. One of my best friends from camp, right there at my College. I remember going over to her and the smile she gave me. It was wide, warm, even though I was miles away from home, I didn't feel far from it at all.” A few members of the audience awed, some were surprised at how soft he sounded.

“Some people say 'when you find someone you can halfway tolerate, hold on tight and never let go.' And well, I grabbed on, and I can't imagine myself letting go anytime soon.” Max held onto Nikki's hands, she blushed and smiled. The audience clapped, a lot of them were moved by his words.

 

“And now, Nicolette.” The pasture gestured to Nikki. 

 

“At home, I wasn't really allowed to be myself, I lived with a 'proper' future in mind for me. But at camp, I was free to be myself. And having two friends that let me be myself and never care was amazing.” Nikki looked down, smiling to herself now.

“Max has always had a big impact on my life. He didn't care if I wasn't like the other girls, he didn't care if I was 'wild' or 'not lady-like', he just cared about what made me happy, that's always stood out to me.” Nikki looked back up at Max finally.

“If I had to spend the rest of my life with someone, it'd had to be with Max. Rather it's in the middle of the woods, or in the city in our little apartment, I'd want to be there with him.” Nikki finished, smiling back at Max. Max's brows knitted together but in a fond way. His smile was warm and welcoming.  
The audience cheered once more, this time was louder due to Nikki's large family being proud of her.

 

The pastor cleared his throat. “By the power vested in me in the town of Sleepy Peak, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

This was it, one kiss and it's official. There was barely any hesitation before Nikki pulled Max in for a kiss. Max had to lean in a bit, but Nikki was on her toes to meet him halfway. Her arms wrapped around his neck, his hands were on her back and waist.

The kiss lasted for a moment before they pulled away. Nikki's eyes lit up, Max's face flushed. The guests stood up and cheered for the newly weds.

 

David came over with his phone in his hands and tears of joy in his eyes.   
“Smile!”

Max rolled his eyes but smiled, bringing Nikki in on his side. David snapped a few photos in case a few came out fuzzy and blurry. David smiled and showed them the best photo he got. Max smiled at the picture.

There it was, their first picture of them as husband and wife.


	7. Picture Hooks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Nikki arrive back home after camp, their wedding, and honeymoon. Little did they know a little post wedding present was waiting for them back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this all in like 3 days vs the last chapter which took maybe 2 weeks?? Go figure

3 Days after their wedding and honeymoon, Max and Nikki pull into the apartment parking. Nikki stepped out and stretched immediately, being cooped up in the car for 8 hours was not ideal for her in the slightest.

Max grabbed some of his luggage from the back of the car, they ended up buying another bag just to fit some of the extra stuff they bought over the summer. They were mainly just different clothes for Nikki to fit her better, but some of them were gifts from the wedding.

Their apartment was on the third floor and had a balcony. It was a bit small for a family, but it was the perfect size for just the two of them. Luckily, it had two bedrooms but they were using the second one as an office/storage space to dump any extra stuff they had in there.

Nikki excused herself and stepped into the lobby, there was a moment where Max was alone before she came back out with a platform cart that was typically used for helping new residents move in.  
Max loaded up the cart himself because if David were there, he'd scold him for letting Nikki do the heavy lifting. Sure, she was just entering her second trimester, but it didn't automatically mean she had to take everything easy just yet.

With everything loaded onto the cart, Max and Nikki rolled it into the lobby elevator. Nikki stayed in the lobby to collect any packages they got (They had letters and bills mailed to the camp for the summer but had the landlord hold onto any packages they might have gotten over the summer)

  
Max brought out the keys and unlocked their apartment for the first time in months. It was dusty inside due to nobody except a few friends with an extra key that came into water plants and to take home any extra food that would have gone bad while they were away. Aside from the dust, however, it still pretty much looked the same.

Due to the large window in the living room, it was always naturally bright, so they didn't use their lights all the time which saved a lot on their energy bill. It was loaded with various potted plants and succulents that they planted so Nikki wouldn't get sick from being out of nature. It also had a lot of Indian styled decor that Max bought to make it feel like home in his perspective.

As soon as Max unloaded the luggage to their proper rooms, he rolled the cart out into the hallway. He met Nikki at the elevator, she had a large, flat package at her side.

“Who's it from?” Max asked with a curiously raised brow as he pointed at the package that was at Nikki's side. Nikki handed him the package, “It's from David”

“Already? Goddamn, it's only been 3 days” Max's lips pressed into a thin line, why was he already sending them something? He saw them just 3 days ago, he should at least wait a few weeks before sending them more stuff.

Regardless, Max hurried and returned the cart so he and Nikki could sit on the couch and open the package together.

  
Max came back to the apartment to find Nikki dusting off some of the furniture with the windows open, the breeze blew in and helped cool down the living room. It was nice, really. The gentle breeze of early fall was one of Max's favorite things about September.

Max kicked the front door shut with his foot and headed to the kitchen. He flickered on a light, it quickly revealed stacks of cook books, empty serving bowls (usually filled with some sort of fruit or even candy) and cooking utensils. Max opened one of the many junk drawers they had (They swear they're going to organize them, they just haven't found the time to do so yet) and grabbed a pair of scissors.

Max came back to the living room and flopped on the couch. He forgot how comfortable it really was until he sunk into it. He and Nikki would often fall asleep on it after they got home from their classes, either that or they'd just sit back and cuddle while a movie played on the small tv they had.

Once Nikki finished dusting off the coffee table, she sat next to Max carefully (Flopping down wasn't really an option right now for her, she and the baby could get hurt very easily)

Max grabbed the package and used the blade of the scissors to slice through the tape. After the tape was sliced in order to allow the box to open up, Max set the scissors aside and proceeded to open the package.

“What do you think it is?” Nikki asked as she leaned in to try and see what was in the package. Max shrugged, “I dunno, knowing David it's probably just more parenting books”

Max flipped the box over and let what was inside slide out. It was a framed picture of Max and Nikki in their wedding attire, the picture that David took of them.

Max and Nikki's eyes lit up for a moment. “That was nice of him to send us a framed photo of this!” Nikki gushed as she observed the picture better.

Max drew his attention to the note inside the package, it was from David.  
“Nik, look, it's a note” Max drew in Nikki's attention.

Max began to read the note out loud to Nikki.

  
“Dear Max and Nikki, congratulations on your wedding!

I remember when you two kids were just campers at Camp Campbell and I had to chase you two around all day, that was fun!

Now you two are married and about to be parents, it feels like time to just moving so fast nowadays.   
So I figured this picture will help you two remember your wedding so every time you look at it it will feel like it happened just yesterday.

Good luck on parenting, and remember that Gwen and I are always just a phone call away.

Love, David.”

  
Nikki grabbed the note and read it herself, “Aw, that's so sweet of him!”  
Nikki stood up then grabbed the picture, “Where should we hang this up?”

Max cupped his chin (which was growing scruff from him not bothering with shaving from being busy with the wedding, honeymoon, packing, and traveling) and looked around the apartment. The walls already had a lot of posters, banners, ribbons, rewards, and paintings that took up wall space. Some were other gifts, some were from flea markets, some were ribbons that Nikki won from sports games, and others were freebies from poster bins around their city.

Max looked over to their dinner table, the wall against it had 3 ribbons that could easily be rearranged below or above the picture. “How about the wall next to the dinner table?”

Nikki bobbed her head to the side like a curious puppy before looking at the said wall. She rearranged the ribbons in her head, then nodded as she looked at Max. “Yeah, I can see that!” Nikki put the picture down on the dinner table and went to one of the junk drawers.

She opened it, no nails or hooks to hang the picture. She went to the next drawer, nothing. Next drawer, nope, nothing, nada. Nikki's lips pressed into an awkward thin line before she turned to face Max.

“Maaax, we're out of picture hooks” Nikki called out with a whine. Max rolled his eyes and closed all of the drawers she left open. “Okay, well… um...” Max trailed off. He knows that if they don't get this taken care of right now they'll forget it and push the task away until David finally comes over and does it himself.

Max sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, then, he huffed out a sigh and attempted to give her a smile to push aside the fact he was tired. “Well, how about we go to the hardware store, then the grocery store, then we go get something to eat because we're out of food in the fridge, anyway”

Nikki's eyes lit up when he mentioned food. “What're you thinking for dinner?” Nikki asked, already grabbing her jacket from the coat rack out of excitement. Max looked away and shrugged. “I dunno, pizza?” He answered with the first idea that popped into his head.

“Ohh!” Nikki's eyes lit up again “I love pizza! Especially that place down the street from the pharmacy, they make the best pizza” Nikki leaned against a wall, day dreaming about food since all she's had to eat today aside from breakfast was a few road trip snacks.

Max raised a brow at her suggestion, he knew the place very well, it was where they went for their first date years ago. “I can't remember, do they take carry out? Because if we're getting groceries I don't want the cold stuff to heat up in the car” Max threw the question out as he crossed his arms.

“Oh yeah, you got a point” Nikki took a moment to think to herself before it donned upon her. “Yeah, they do” Max gave her a subtle smile.

“Sounds good, let's go” He smirked as he grabbed his wallet and keys with one hand and Nikki's hand with his other.

  
\---

  
Two stores and one pizzeria later, Max and Nikki came home with picture hooks, groceries, and pizza.  
Nikki took responsibility of putting away the groceries and grabbing plates for the pizza while Max rearranged her ribbons and hung up the picture.

After messing with the picture for 2 minutes to center it properly, Max stepped away to let Nikki see it for herself.  
“So,” Max turned to face Nikki, “does it look center?”  
Nikki kept her eyes on the photo, she nodded as one of her hands propped on her hip. “Yep!” she confirmed, leaving a proud smile on Max's face.

They stare at the photo for a silent moment, taking it all in.

 

“Damn,” Nikki said out loud, never taking her eyes off of the picture, “We're married.”

"Mhmm" Max hummed, semi listening to her.

"No, I mean, _we're married_ " Nikki emphasized

“Yeah, what about it?” Max asked, raising a brow at her. Of course, they were married, they had the ceremony, like, 3 days ago.

Nikki crossed her arms with a shrug, she looked away from Max for a moment. “I dunno, it just feels like I got off of that bus and stepped into Camp Campbell just yesterday but now I'm 22, married to you, and pregnant with our first kid” Nikki stared at Max, the moonlight from the wide windows peeked through his dark curly locks.

“Time moved fast, it really makes you think, ya know?” Nikki shrugged again, staring down at her stomach before laying a hand on it. “One moment, you're a kid with the entire summer ahead of her, the next you're expecting one of your own and the reality that you might fuck it up starts to settle in” Nikki choked out the last part, her shoulders raised as she held onto herself tightly.

Max blinked at her a few times, Nikki rarely spoke this seriously ever but whenever she did, it always caught him off guard. The youthful glint in her eyes was temporally gone, but the moon's reflection replaced it easily. Max's brows furrowed, not out of anger or anything like that but out of genuine concern.

“Nikki...” Max spoke up as he brought a hand forward but he trailed off and pulled back, unsure exactly sure of how to handle everything she just said. Nikki looked back at him, her eyes were glossy, her lip quivered, her hand trembled.

Nikki fell into Max's arms for a well-needed hug, he was pushed back by the sudden collision but he gladly held onto her, using one hand to hold onto her and the other to stroke from the top of her head down to her mid-back.

Nikki heaved into Max's hoodie, tears pricking her usually dry eyes. “I'm going to be a terrible mom, I'm going to mess this kid if I haven't already, I'm gonna-” Nikki went on before Max used the hand he pet her with to pull her head up by her chin. His expression was stern but concerned.

“Nikki, the kid isn't even here yet. You can't mess up something hasn't even arrived.” Max pointed out, hoping to calm her down by placing both of his hands on her shoulders. “B-but-” Nikki whimpered, Max cut her off again.

“No buts. It's just a fact that you can't fuck up something that isn't here yet.” Max huffed out a sigh, he was unable to shake the thought of Nikki when she was a camper and working herself up about the egg.

Nikki sighed and blinked away a few tears that formed in the corner of her eyes. “Max, we haven't even been to a doctor yet, what if...” Nikki stopped as she sharply inhaled at what she was thinking. Max caught on and barged in with “We'll schedule a doctor asap, I'll call right now if you want”

Nikki slowly nodded, a smile creeping back onto her face before she hid it in his hoodie again. Max held her close, letting her listen to the beating of his heart, he listened to her rapid breathing slow down.

  
They both shared a much needed moment of silence as they embraced each other in their dimly lit apartment.

“Life sucks, but at least there's pizza” Max broke the 3-minute silence as he referred to the box of pizza that was cooling down on the counter. 'God, I sound like Gwen' He then thought to himself, knitting his brows at his own concern.

“Yeah,” Nikki said so quietly it was practically a whisper, she wiped her damp lashes with her wrist and straightened herself up.

“I'm hungry, let's dig in!” Nikki clapped then rubbed her hands together in excitement, Max was glad to see Nikki rise up from her funk easily like that.


	8. The First Appointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Nikki attend their first Prenatal Visit, turns out an old friend is their doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to do so much research for this shit?? This is probably bad hhh

As they waited inside the doctor's office, Max tapped away on his phone (Probably talking to Neil again) as Nikki's legs swung off of the exam table. As Max had promised, he scheduled an appointment to make sure everything was running smoothly with the pregnancy.

The office was small, kind of plain, and barely decorated aside from the diagrams that were hung on the wall and a few potted plants to lighten up the place. There were a few pamphlets and magazines on the table, to no surprise they were pregnancy related.

 

“How's Nikki doin'?” Neil texted, Max looked up from his phone and looked over at Nikki. She was still swinging her legs, one hand was on her stomach, the other was drumming on the exam table.

“She looks a bit anxious, we're still waiting for the fucking doctor to get here” Max replied, huffing out a subtle sigh.

Then, as if she was called on cue, the doctor stepped in. “Dearest Apologies, I was on lunch break” The doctor excused himself, a slight British accent present in his voice.

If Max and Nikki were drinking something, they'd do a spit take.  
“Gerald?!” Max and Nikki let out in unison, shocked expressions on their faces.

“Max, Nikki? You're my new clients?” Gerald asked with a gasp, he brought a hand to cover his mouth as his jaw dropped. 

“Yeah, what are you doing here, where's Dr. Baker?” Max asked, stuffing his hands the pocket of his hoodie.

“Um, that's me. I'm a Prenatal Doctor, didn't you know?” Gerald scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, “We've known each other since freshman year of college and you're telling me you never knew I was in medical school?”

Max pressed his lips into a fine line, embarrassed to admit that that was the case. “Well, you see-” 

“Max, you're such a riot!” Gerald chuckled, his shoulders bouncing with each laugh. “I don't blame ya, I've always been known for what happened when I first tried 7 minutes in heaven”  
Max and Nikki exchanged glances, then flashed him a guilty grin.

Gerald sighed to himself, "You accidentally break someone's nose during 7 minutes and then the cops show up, this is why I can't drink anymore" There was an awkward silence between everyone.

“Well, let's cut to the chase- Nikki, how many weeks along are you?” Gerald asked as he took a seat on his chair, he had a pen ready to write down any information she'll have for him.

“Um,” Nikki paused for a moment to add up the numbers in her head. “16 weeks” She confirmed with a nod, double-checking the numbers again in her head “Yeah, 16 weeks.” Max quietly snorted under his breath, a small quirk he picked up from living with Nikki for years.

“Alright,” Gerald said under his breath as he nodded and wrote it down on the clipboard. “Wait- 15 weeks? Max, Nikki, you're supposed to schedule a prenatal visit as soon as you find out you're pregnant! Why are you just now having a visit?” Gerald asked with a whine as if he was ready to lecture them like David would.

“Gerald-” Max started but Gerald interrupted him with “Dr. Baker.” Max scoffed quickly before correcting himself. “Dr. Baker, we were busy at summer camp all summer, and the nearest hospital was hours away and our breaks were an hour long, and those were just on the weekends!”

“Alright alright alright- I guess that's a logical explanation. Let's move on” Dr. Baker suggested, shaking the small dispute that was exchanged away. “Any symptoms? Are any of them stronger than others?” 

“Ooh, I've had a lot of cravings- mainly for sweets. And morning sickness was a big issue but it's kinda died down lately” Nikki listed off with a shrug. “And you've been kind of really emotional, during movie night you bawled your eyes out during Marley and Me, and she's never cried during Marley and Me” Max pointed out, Nikki quickly flashed him an annoyed look.

“Cravings, morning sickness, mood swings- Alrighty, Nikki, how are you feeling physically?” Dr. Baker asked, looked up from his clipboard.

Nikki's index finger tapped her chin as she thought of an accurate answer, “Well, lately I've been tired. I can't run that fast or far anymore without having to stop, that sucks. Honestly, I've mainly just been tired and sore” Nikki listed off all of the struggles, it was hard for her to not run around like she used to.

Dr. Baker nodded again as he wrote down on his clipboard. “Well, being tired is definitely something to expect but Since you're in your 2nd trimester you're starting what's called 'The Honeymoon Period'” Max and Nikki perked up, they each gave Gerald A curious, yet excited look.

“Basically, a lot of your symptoms like cravings and morning sickness settles down, your emotions start to even out, and sex drive returns” Dr. Baker explained, Max let out a small, barely audible “Nice” at the last part.

Gerald glanced at Max, “Anyways”

“Nikki, have you felt any movement yet? Because the 2nd trimester brings on the baby's first movements” Gerald asked, he adjusted his seating to get more comfortable.

“A few kicks here and there,” Nikki patted her stomach “This kiddo can kick hard sometimes” 

“Yeah,” Max chimed in, “Especially at night. I don't mind you sleeping against my back but when that kid kicks they kick” Nikki tried to cover her mouth in an attempt to contain her laughter. “Sorry”

 

“Alright, well we should probably start an ultrasound, we should be able to hear a heartbeat now.” Dr. Baker explained as he brought out the Doppler.

 

“Alright, everything seems to be going right, everything's looking healthy...” Dr. Baker said behind his clipboard, writing down more information. “Hey, before you go, do you guys want to know the sex of your baby? Because we can do that if you want”

Max and Nikki glanced at each other, “I dunno, do you wanna know?” Nikki asked as she faced Max.  
Max shrugged as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, “I don't care, it'll help us name them, I guess”

Nikki took a second to think it over, she rubbed her thumb over her fingers a few times before she made up her mind. “Yeah, why not?” Nikki gave Gerald a shrug of her own.

“Alrighty, let's see here...” Gerald quietly said to himself as he moved the medical instrument around to get a better look. 

Max glanced down at Nikki, her attention was fixed on the monitor, she looked more focused than usual. Eventually, though, Nikki did realize Max was staring at her. She glanced up and gave him a small smile, he returned one right back at her.

Max reached for Nikki's hand, her hands were a little smaller than his were, but his were noticeably slimmer. He gave her hand a slight squeeze as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles (which were rough compared to rest of her skin due to years of hard work outdoors)

“Okay,” Dr. Baker spoke up to grab Max and Nikki's attention, “It looks like you two are having a girl!” He turned the monitor so they could get a better look. “Congratulations!”

A small smile crept onto Max's face, a small glint of his own sparkled in his eyes. Nikki sat up once Gerald pulled back the instrument from her stomach, “Ooh, she can be Nancy's best friend!”

“I mean, I figured she'd be her friend either way” Max chimed in, “They are gonna be cousins, after all,” Max shrugged again, losing count of how many times he's shrugged that day already.

After camp ended that summer, Neil and Nikki's parents started dating and eventually by the next summer, they got married, making them step-siblings. That summer was surely one they'd always remember, mainly because Nikki insisted on calling him her brother on a daily basis.

 

As Gerald finished writing down the rest of the information on his clipboard, he put away the ultrasound equipment. He got up from his stool, stretched, then handed Max a pamphlet. “Well, that's all the time we have for today. Be back every two weeks for regular appointments.” He reminded him. Max gave him a nod as he skimmed over the pages a bit.

 

After Nikki cleaned herself up, she put her coat back on and tugged down her sweater. It was late September, and October was just around the corner. Ideas about what their plans for Halloween would be have been buzzing around their apartment for weeks now, hell, they've even started decorating already.

Max and Nikki walked to their car, their hands were laced together and Nikki stepped on any leaf on the ground that crossed her path as they braced the chilly air that they were met with outside. It was a particularly cold day so they layered up with long sleeves under their coats and jackets. Max's hands were warm from being stuffed in the pocket of his hoodie for most of the visit, actually, one hand was still in his pocket, the other was holding Nikki's hand as it swung back and forth.

 

After settling in the car and pulling out of the parking lot, Nikki spoke up.

“So, any name ideas?” She asked, placing a hand on her stomach (which was still cold from the ultrasound gel.) Max kept his eyes on the road as he turned into the street, “I dunno, I figured you'd throw some names out and I'd give you feedback or something”

“Oh, come on! You get to help name her, too!” Nikki reminded with a small smile. If Max wasn't driving, she'd give him some sort of shove.

Max rolled his eyes with a smirk and a bounce of his shoulders. “Alright then...” Max trailed off for a moment as he turned in an intersection. “Do you have any ideas yet, though?”

“Ooh! Something cool, like Er-” Nikki started before Max stepped in with “We're not naming our daughter after Ered” 

“Aw, okay” Nikki huffed out an overly dramatic sigh but a smile crept its way back onto her face quickly. Max covered a chuckle he let out with one hand as he kept the other on the wheel, “Drama queen”

Nikki's smile turned into a sly smirk, “Sure, I'm the drama queen” 

Max gave out a fake offended gasp, Nikki snorted as she turned into her shoulder to hide it. Max rolled his eyes a second time before grabbing one of Nikki's hands to kiss it. “Be glad I love you, dork” 

Nikki's face flushed pink with a crooked smile at the kiss, “It's hard not to,” She remarked “I'm so irresistible”

Max chuckled to himself, his hand was still holding onto hers. “Yeah, you really are”

 

Back at home, Nikki turned on the radio so that she and Max had something to listen to as they worked around the apartment.

Max hummed to himself as he chopped up some celery for the stew he had in the crock pot that would be ready in a few hours, Nikki was watering some plants and dancing a little here and there as she switched from plant to plant.

It wasn't until Nikki's phone rang that the radio was turned off. Nikki looked at the caller ID, it was Neil.

Nikki smiled as she swiped the phone icon and started off with “Hey, bro-bro, what's up?”  
Max could hear a faint “Don't call me that” From Neil, Max snorted before going back to cooking.

Neil's half of the conversation was inaudible to Max but he must have been discussing something important because Nikki's focused expression returned.

“-Um, I dunno, lemme ask Max” Okay, it was definitely something important. Max perked up at his name being called.

Nikki pulled the phone away to speak, “Neil and Nerris are asking if we can watch Nancy tomorrow, they're wanting to go on a date” Nikki snickered slightly at the last part.

Max shrugged as he went back to his cooking, “Sure, why the fuck not?”

“Great!” Nikki clapped her hands together before returning to the phone. 

“He said yes!” Nikki replied before Max tuned her out as he focused on his cooking.


	9. Parenting Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Nikki babysit Nancy and finally settle on a name.

“-Her dinner's in the fridge and her bedtime is at 7. We'll be back by 11” Neil instructed as he grabbed his jacket. “Call us if anything happens and we'll be there as soon as possible”

“Neil, chill” Max laid a hand on Neil's shoulder. “We've got this. Just go out and enjoy yourself for once” 

Neil gave Max a smirk, “You got that from Nikki, didn't you?” He crossed his arms as he leaned against a wall, Max rolled his eyes. “Could have. I also could have stayed home instead and let you watch your own damn kid”

“Language!” Nikki called out from the other room. “Right right...” Max mumbled, Neil and Nerris were strict about swearing around Nancy. “Sorry, force of habit”

“It's fine, Max, just-” Neil sighs as he adjusts his glasses “-think about what you're saying around her, okay? I don't want her swearing like a sailor when we come back”

“Alright alright! I got it!” Max added. “Now, you and Nerris, go on that date” Max pushed them out the door, “Have fuuuuun” He chimed before closing the door on them.

 

Max stepped into the living, Nikki was sitting on the floor with Nancy with a touch and feel book. 

“You see the bunny, go ahead and touch its fur” Nikki moved Nancy's hand to feel over the small patch of faux fur that was in the book. Nancy cooed as her fingers ran over the fur, Nikki laughed subtly “There you go!”

Max leaned against a wall, he stuffed his hands in his hoodie as he smiled at Nikki and Nancy. Nikki turned the page, “See the snake? Now let's feel the snake's scales” This time, Nancy reached for the patch of fake scales herself, Nikki's eyes lit up “Hey, you're doing it! Good job, Nancy!” Nikki praised as she patted the top of Nancy's head.

Max's mind trailed off to what their kid was going to be like. “Maybe she'll like reading, too? No, because her dad's not a fucking nerd” Max thought to himself. “She won't be calm, that's for sure. If we take our eyes off of her for a second she'll probably climb the fucking walls like a monkey”

 

Max hadn't noticed Nikki was watching him till she was laughing into her hand. “What're you doing?” She asked. Nancy started to giggle with her.

Max's face flushed softly in embarrassment, “Nothing, just thinking, that's all.”

“Oh, okay” Nikki laughed again as she stood up with Nancy on her hip. “Can you hold her for a bit? I gotta pee” Nikki pulled Nancy up a little higher, she's definitely getting heavy.  
“Sure” Max shrugged lightly before taking Nancy from Nikki.

Nikki ran off to the bathroom and Max sat down on the couch with Nancy on his lap, he turned on the TV and switched to a kids network for Nancy to watch. Max starting Bouncing Nancy on his knee, something he'd often do whenever holding onto kids. Nancy giggled and babbled with each bounce out of excitement.

Max couldn't help but smile from making her laugh, it's one of the small victories in life (next to getting a stray cat to come over when called and having a butterfly land on your finger)

Max sat back on the couch, Nancy at his side. There was some sort of cartoon on the TV, educational, of course. The characters were singing about the alphabet while dancing around and explaining what each letter sounded like and stood for.

A few minutes later, Nikki came into the living room. She stretched her arms over her head, her back popping as her arms extended. She sat next to Max but she left enough room for Nancy in the middle. “So, what's on TV?” She asked as an arm hung off of the edge of the couch.

“I don't know” Max replied as he looked down at a transfixed Nancy, “But she's really into it”  
Nikki chuckled, her shoulders bouncing with each laugh. “That's so cute, I gotta take a pic,” Nikki pulled out her phone and took a picture, then she sent it to Nerris.

“God, Nikki. It's only been 10 minutes” Max commented. Nikki shrugged as she texted Nerris, “Yeah but you gotta admit, that was adorable”

Max gave her a small scowl but it softened. “Yeah, it kinda was” He admitted.

 

Another 10 minutes pass, Nikki looks up from her phone to ask Max a question.

“Hey, do you think we can go for a walk before it gets dark?” She asked. Max looked down at Nancy, then back at Nikki. “Sure, we got a while before dinner time”

Nikki lets out a quiet “Yes!” as her fist pumped in the air. Immediately, she got up and grabbed Nancy's stroller from the hall closet. Max held back a laugh at her enthusiasm, he took Nancy to her room to grab one of her jackets to keep her safe from the chilly autumn weather while Nikki set up the stroller.

 

The neighborhood Neil and Nerris lived in were small, well lit, and safe. It was far away from the highways and busy streets of the city, so it was fairly silent aside from a few dogs barking in the distance. They could definitely see why Neil and Nerris would buy a house down here, everyone seemed to know each other and it felt oddly safe.

Once Gerald gave her the okay, Nikki got herself ready to do some light jogging. Although heavy exorcize was off limits for a while, running, jogging, and swimming were still things she could do (Well, running and jogging. It's fall and this baby won't be here til mid-February)

Max pushed the stroller with Nancy inside, bundled safely and warmly, while Nikki jogged ahead of them in her own athletic hoodie. She'd run no further than 10-20 feet before she'd slow down to let Max and Nancy catch up with her, or if she'd have to take a breather. There's a reason it's called light jogging.

They went around the block once before Nikki got tired and the sun started setting, The air got colder and they wished they wore scarves to keep their faces protected from the brisk, cold air but they didn't, so they headed back to Neil and Nerris' house for dinner.

Max looked through the fridge to pick out a jar of food for Nancy, to his surprise, there were a lot of choices left in there for her. Max cocked a brow as he picked one up to examine it. “Apple spinach blend...” Max said to himself in disappointment.

“That sounds gross” Nikki commented as she placed Nancy in her highchair, Nancy fussed a bit in protest but calmed down once she settled in. “Get this,” Max spoke up from behind the fridge door as he pulled out a jar of orange puree “Sweet potato and white bean puree”

“That sounds worse” Nikki ended in a chuckle, “Are you making that up? Because that sounds disgusting”

“Wish I was” Max leaned back to show her the puree. “Ew...” Nikki replied under her breath. “Don't they have something, you know, good in their fridge for Nancy?” 

“Um,” Max poked his head back in the fridge before pulling out a jar of purple puree. “Yeah, the coconut blueberry stuff looks somewhat edible” Max noted as he read the date on the jar.

“Alright then,” Nikki clapped her hands together as a sign of agreement. “Coconut blueberry it is!” She snatched the jar from his hands and rummaged through the drawers to bring out a bib and spoon.

Max shrugged and went on to heating their leftover soup from the night before. He popped open the lids, put them in the microwave, then timed them for a few minutes.  
As the stew heated up, Max scooted a chair next to his wife and watched her feed Nancy.

 

“Alright, Nancy, open up!” Nikki commanded, Nancy merely scowled at the spoon full of puree. “Nikki, that's too much food, she can't take a bite that big” Max noted, Nikki let out an “Oh” before taking some of the puree off of the spoon to give her less.

Nancy glared up at Max and Nikki, her nose scrunched before she leaned in to finally take a bite. Nikki let out a sigh of relief, “There we go, finally!” Nikki hesitated before giving Nancy another bite to allow her to swallow, she scooped up any food that she spat up on her chin and let her continue with that.

 

“Dang, this is what we're going to be doing every day for a few years once this little guy's here,” Nikki said as she glared down to her stomach before returning to Nancy as she babbled for more food.

The microwave beeped, Max got up and lazily replied with “Yeah”

“And we still gotta think of a name for her, because knowing us, if we don't start thinking of some soon, we're never going to think of a name on time” Nikki pointed out as she scooped up another bite, Nancy leaned into this one a little too hard and nearly fell forward but Nikki luckily held her hand out to catch her head.

“Hmm, you got a point” Max nodded as he brought out 2 spoons and the stew. “So, you mentioned something cool, I'd be fine with anything as long as it's an actual fu-” Max held back a swear as he looked at Nancy, who was glaring right back at him as if she knew what he was about to say. “-An actual flipping name.” He corrected himself quietly, Nancy looked back at the puree with a little smile as she awaited the next bite.

“Okay, what about Iris?” Nikki suggested, not looking away from Nancy as Max placed her bowl of stew next to her seat.

Max snorted, “Who would name their kid Iris?” Nikki rolled her eyes, “Alright, Iris is a no-go, got any ideas?” Nikki asked with a raised brow as she scooped up the last of Nancy's puree.

“Hmm,” Max hummed as he took a moment to think, then it clicked in his head. “Yes.” Max leaned in to whisper in Nikki's ear, which made no sense since the only other person in the room was Nancy and she was too busy eating the last of her food.

Max pulled away with a snicker as Nikki nodded rapidly, holding back a laugh of her own. “I can't wait to tell her,” Nikki said in between giggles behind her hand. “Me neither” Max replied before taking a breath to calm himself down.

 

After settling Nancy into bed, Max and Nikki flopped and laid down on Neil's couch with an exaggerated and tired sigh. “God, she's finally asleep,” Nikki said with a huff, “I thought she'd never go down”

“Yeah, how can a kid want to read that many fucking books? She probably can't even fucking understand what's fucking happening!” Max managed to work in as many silent swears as he could knowing Nancy was fast asleep and her sound machine would drown out anything he said.

“So, should we call her now?” Nikki asked as she looked at Max. “Oh, yeah, sure” Max replied as he pulled out his phone and started a video call.

 

As the phone rang, Nikki weakly attempted to hold back her laughter, Max hushed her as the phone picked up.

“Max, Nikki!” David answered the phone with a beaming smile and paint spread on his face and shirt. Max and Nikki exchanged confused glances, “Hey, David. Um, where's Gwen? We need to talk to her” Max asked, David let out an “Oh!” Before handing Gwen the phone.

“Thank you- Hey, little shits, how're you doing?” Gwen asked, she also had paint on her.   
Max pondered in his head for a second about what they could have been doing before Nikki leaned into Max to answer for him.

“We're good! We gotta ask you something!” Nikki's grin grew wider, Max patted her shoulder and she merely reduced her wide grin to a smirk.

“Oh?” Gwen asked, her brow still raised. “Well, first of all: We found out we're having a girl!” Nikki announced, David let out a loud, audible gasp and rushed into the shot. “Really?!”

“Mhmm!” Nikki nodded rapidly with excitement, David and Gwen smiled together “That's wonderful!” David said through a smile. “Okay, what did you want to ask me?” Gwen asked but she already had an idea of what they were gonna ask her.

“Okay okay okay, we were wondering if you'd let us name our daughter after you” Nikki suggested, Gwen smiled and said, “Oh, Nikki, it'd be an honor!”

“Oh thank you, Gretchen!” Nikki laughed at the last part, “Son of a bitch!” Gwen added loudly. Max started laughing too. “Fucking- Gretchen!” Max laughed through, he held onto his stomach because it started to hurt from laughing hard.

David broke out into giggles, Gwen glared at him, then at Max and Nikki. “You little shits”  
Max started wheezing, Nikki started crying. “Sorry! That was Max's idea!”

“Yeah, I can tell” Gwen added, she rolled her eyes then started laughing herself. “Okay, I gotta admit, you got me with that one” Her laughter crescendoed, at this point, everyone was laughing.

 

Hours after the call, and a movie and a half, Neil and Nerris returned from their date. Max and Nikki were snuggled up on their couch, Nikki looked like she was seconds from passing out.

“Hey,” Max said in a whisper “How was your date?” Neil took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack, “Pretty good, did Nancy give you any trouble?” he asked.

“Not much, just had me read, like, 5 books before she fell asleep. Neil let out a soft chuckle under his breath. “Yeah, she loves bedtime stories”

Nerris took out their pay from her purse, “Thanks again for watching her, we really needed a night out” Nerris admitted, she laid a soft peck on Neil's cheek.

“No problem,” Nikki spoke up as she rubbed her tired eyes. Max grabbed the money and put it in his wallet. Nikki turned off the TV, got up, and put on her jacket. “Let us know if you need us know if you need someone to watch her again, God knows we're going to need the parenting practice”

“We'll keep that in mind,” Neil noted. 

With some final goodbyes, Max and Nikki left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at writing endings today ughosg
> 
> Everything hurts lmao, I had to move a couch upstairs and I feel like I'm mcdying
> 
> But hey!! Name reveal!! lmao now I can stop calling Gretchen "the kid"


	10. New Possibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Nikki start work again.
> 
> After a long day of work, Max has a deep conversation with Nikki about his self-doubts, then they discuss new possibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (EDIT) I edited a few mistakes (some of which were pointed out, thanks for pointing them out!!)

It was now mid-October, and Max and Nikki were finally back at work after settling in back at home. The kids in Nikki's P.E class were glad to see their teacher back in action (even if she had to take it easy, being 4 months along in her pregnancy and all) The school's staff threw a little welcome back party on her first day back, she came back home with a few dishes and gifts from her co-workers, and some cards the kids all made in art class.

Max's coworkers, on the other hand, were more professional and serious but they did all go out for lunch after his first day back on the job. The switch from kids calling him 'Max' and David referring him as 'co-counselor' to 'Mr. Jones' and 'Maxwell' felt a little odd, no matter how many professional gatherings he's attended they never truly prepared him for being referred as 'Mr. Jones' or 'Maxwell' on a regular basis.

On his first case back, Max's client was going against their divorced spouse, they had abused their child who they fought custody over. It hit him close to home (with his own parents neglecting him back at home), so he was determined to make sure his client won the case.

 

When Max returned from work that evening, Nikki was sprawled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn balanced on her stomach. 'An American Werewolf in London' was playing on the TV, specifically, a Gorey scene. A scene that made Max question how fucked up this kid was going to be once she was born.

“Oh, hey!” Nikki reached for the remote to pause the movie. “Look at what I can do now!” She pointed to the bowl that was balanced on her stomach, “Pretty neat, huh?”

“That's uh… That's nice” Max said before flopping on the couch. Nikki put the bowl on the coffee table and sat up the best she could. “So…” She paused for a moment to observe Max's facial expression. He was tired, his brows slightly furrowed and bags started to gather under his eyes. “How was work?” She asked calmly.

“Tiring. My client's going against his wife who neglected their kid, it hit pretty close to home...” Max told as he ran his hands down his curls and face. “I'm just glad to be home,” He admitted as he turned to face Nikki. She gave him a look of sympathy before leaning in to hold him.

“There there,” She patted his back, Max huffed out a tired sigh. “Could you continue the movie?” He asked groggily, Nikki nodded and played the movie, handing him the bowl of popcorn in the process.

 

Max looked exhausted, the bags under his eyes were dark as his lids drooped. Any time he blinked, it was slow and drawn out, every time his eyes shut they'd stay shut for a short moment before he forced himself to open them.

To be honest, Nikki found Max adorable when he was tired. Mainly because when he sleeps he holds onto anyone close, which was usually her. Despite the screams of terror from the movie, Max was drifting off to sleep quickly.

Nikki held back a soft chuckle as she ran a hand through his dark curls. He barely glanced up at her, his fierce green irises stood out from his hair and dark circles. Nikki gave him a soft, comforting smile before laying her head on his.

 

10 Minutes pass, the main character (Who's name was David, that's something Nikki always thought was amazing) finished his first rampage and was now in the car with nurse price. Whenever he got feisty with the nurse, Nikki would let out “God I wish that were me” or “'Wish Max would try that”

“Nikki,” Max said in a whisper. Nikki was a bit surprised he hadn't fallen asleep at this point, she glanced down at him. “Yes, Max?”

Max was silent for a moment, too silent. Nikki's brows furrowed nervously as she brought a hand over to tap his shoulder to be sure he hadn't fallen asleep again.

But, he proved he was awake by asking “Do you think I'm going to be like my dad?” Nikki's heart sunk, she could barely read his expression but he still looked tired. Nikki reached for the remote to pause the movie.

“What… What do you mean?” Nikki asks, she props herself up on her elbows to try and get a better look of his face.

Max huffed out a small sigh. It was faint, yet it screamed how upset he was. “Once Gretchen is here, am I just going to neglect her like my dad did with me?”

A pit of guilt started to form in Nikki's stomach. “Of course not, because unlike him, you seem excited to meet her,” She pointed out, a hopeful smile formed. Max looked up at her, he gave out a sigh of relief. “I've seen the way your eyes light up every once in a while whenever we talk about her, especially when we discuss what she might be like”

Nikki runs her hand through his hair again, occasionally, she'd stroke his jawline to help calm him down. “You're putting yourself down before you have a chance to get up there”

“Hmm” Max hummed, his eyes squeezed shut and his brows furrowed. “Maybe I am,” he admitted. “I just have so many doubts going through my head, what if I'm not good enough for her?” You could hardly tell due to the dark but his shoulders tensed under his blazer.

“That's just it,” Nikki spoke up but she didn't look at Max, she simply just glared down at the floor. “You are good enough, you just don't know it yet.”

Max was at a loss for words, he blinked at her a few times. He wants to protest the possibility of him being a good father but he couldn't bring up anything at the moment, he merely just stared at her.

Max looked down at his hands, they were lazily folded in with each other. “Thank you...” He mustered out finally. It was silent, practically a whisper if anything.

He looked back up at her. The TV and moonlight offered dim lighting that shimmered off of her hair. The feeling was familiar, it reminded him of when she got deep about her doubts the month prior. Now here he was, having doubts of his own about being a good parent, it was ironic that she had to give him a pep talk.

Max exhaled softly, it probably would have come out as a sigh if he weren't already so tired. He extended his hand out and gently gripped onto Nikki's face by her chin. She turned to meet his expression, her lips were lightly pursed in a way that just barely revealed her teeth.

Max's green eyes stared right into her red ones. Well, they were a reddish pink color, it was hard to pinpoint. Even though she was tired herself, the youthful glint she always had still lingered in them.

Max pulled Nikki in and drew her in for a kiss. His other hand ran through her green hair and the one that held onto her chin stayed put. Her hands rested against Max's chest, they gradually trailed down the hem of his blazer.

The kiss was slow, drawn out, and overall passionate. It felt like an eternity before they pulled away from each other, a pleasant eternity. Nikki was left breathless, she was taken back by the kiss but she loved every second of it.

The youthful glint was replaced by a look of longing, yearning, a look of desire. “Do it again,” She demanded in a whisper. Although she had pulled away from Max, she was still close enough that her breath was warm against his neck. Max gave her a little smile, it was hard to see in the dim lighting but it was surely there. “Gladly”

This time, Nikki was the one to pull him in. Max's hand was still on her chin, the other was on the small of her neck. Nikki slowly pulled on Max's blazer to lay them both down on the couch's armrest. Max's hands trailed down to Nikki's arms, they were slim, slim but toned.

Another moment passes before they pull away again. They panted softly, pants turned into soft exchanged laughter between themselves. Max turned so he was at Nikki's left instead of being on top of her, it was a little crowded on their couch but they didn't care.

Max wrapped his arms around Nikki, they were tangled together on their little sofa. They stared into each other's eyes intently, smiles laid on their faces. To Max, this was the true meaning of comfort and happiness; him, his wife, their daughter to be, the moon to light their living room and a comfortable couch.

 

Max felt his eyes go droopy once again, Nikki held back a soft laugh at the sight. Her cheek was resting in her hand, it grew warm with happiness. Her other hand reached over to tease his curls, one of her favorite pass times when she was with him.

She loved his curls, they way they bounced whenever he laughed, the way they perfectly fell over his face whenever they were soaked with sweat from the summer, how they'd be all over the place after a good nap, and how they were so easy to tease and ruffle and how he'd let her.

 

Nikki turned from her side to her back (which wasn't easy due to the limited space on their couch), the pine scented candle she had lit earlier left a pleasant woodsy aroma to linger in their living room.

Nikki got lost in thought as her eyes closed, lost in thoughts for the future. She wondered; would they raise Gretchen in their little apartment forever? How long would they stay here before space became an issue?

Nikki glanced at Max, his breaths were slow and calm, he was probably nearing slumber if he wasn't asleep already. “Max?” Nikki asked quietly, if he was awake, he could hear her. If he wasn't, he'd be able to sleep through it undisturbed.

One of his eyes winced open at her, “Hm?” He hummed in response. He was probably seconds from falling asleep, Nikki was close to falling asleep herself. “Max, how long are we going to stay here? Will Gretchen be raised here?” She asked quietly and softly. One of her arms laid across her forehead as one of her hands reached over to lace with one of Max's.

“That depends,” he replied. “How long do you want to stay? Where would you want to go?” He asked her, his head subtly turned so he could see her easier.

Nikki went silent as she thought about a few possibilities in her head. “I think… I think I'd want to live in a cabin. A cabin away from the city, somewhere in the forest where I can see the mountains. A cabin with plenty of land that Gretchen can play in.”

Max looked back up at the ceiling, he smiled softly at the thought of it. “Yeah, I kinda like that idea. We can be away from everyone, you won't need to rely on houseplants to keep you from getting sick, and Gretchen can have a home to be raised in”

“Whoa, are you serious?” Nikki asked, her voice raised a little out of excitement as the youthful glint returned. “Yeah,” Max said with a gentle nod. “This place seems too small to raise a child, anyway. And it was honestly too small for the both of us in the first place”

Nikki sat up with a smile spread across her face, Max could barely hold back one of his own. “You mean it? You really want to live in a cabin?” She asked hopefully. Max nodded again, he hummed in response. Nikki's eyes lit up, she lets out a soft, yet excited gasp before pulling Max into an embrace.

“I can't wait, tomorrow after work I'm gonna start looking right away! Oh, this is going to be amazing!” Nikki was practically squealing at this point, Max smiled as he drifted off to sleep in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, I forget that this is also a makki fic and I blame myself for not having them be,, yknow,, romantic and shit
> 
> Also, I live in a cabin in the woods (No mountains, tho. Just large hills :c) so y'all can imagine how excited I am to have them live in a cabin, too!!


	11. House Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Nikki look for a house before David steps in with a suggestion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while to update (That might just be my opinion, tho)  
> I've been having trouble getting inspired to write this, writing these parts are soooo boring :/ We're gonna get to the good shit soon tho

After work, Nikki practically rushed home with the excitement of looking for a cabin to live in buzzing in her head. She paced in the elevator, sprinted down the apartment halls, and swung open the door before tossing her coat lazily on the coat rack (only for it to slip off and fall on the floor)

She reached for the couch but stopped to go to the fridge to get a snack instead (House hunting can wait, snacks are a priority.) Now, with a snack in hand, Nikki opened up their shared laptop and got to work immediately. Really, she should wait for Max to come home to look at houses, too but taking a little look around never hurt anyone.

Occasionally, Nikki would find a cabin she thought looked nice, so she'd save a link so Max could take a took, too. 

Aside from looking at cabins, she'd look at decor for Gretchen's room. She and Max came to an agreement that some sort of woodland theme would look cute (and in case she loved nature just as much as her mama and because it looked overall adorable)

Nikki sat back on the couch for a moment, she laid a hand on her stomach as she got lost in thought. Would Gretchen get sick when nature-deprived, too? Nikki glanced down to her stomach before patting it comfortingly. “You're not getting sick on our watch, kiddo”

 

It was about 2 hours before Max came home, it was dark outside again. Dark and raining. Max came in, soaking wet from the downpour. His curls were drenched but he didn't seem to care. In fact, he seemed a bit happier tonight, that was a good sign. 

 

“Nik, I'm home,” Max declared as he took off his blazer before he even closed the door.

He had a smile spread on his face, a mix of a cheeky one and a proud one. Coming home from work with a smile on his face was rare, coming home from work in the pouring rain was on a whole nother level.

“Hmm, you seem awfully chipper tonight, did something happen?” Nikki asked with a raised brow.

“Yep! My client won custody over their kid, so I'm feeling great” he clasped his hands together in excitement. “Tonight, I'm bringing out the good wine! woo!” He cheered with a laugh as he went over to their liquor cabinet. 

Nikki rolled her eyes at him with a smirk. Usually, they'd both drink wine together when they'd celebrate. But because of Nikki being pregnant, that had to be on hold.

“-And a soda for Nikki, yaaay” He sheepishly laughed off as he grabbed a wine glass for himself and a regular glass for Nikki from the cabinet.

“Ooh, can I have it in a wine glass?” Nikki asked eagerly, her eyes lit up in hope (David always said wine glasses are for wine only, so she knew if she ever had the chance to drink something other than wine in a wine glass she'd take it). 

“Hell yeah!” Max said before grabbing a second wine glass from the rack. Nikki whispered “Yes!” Under her breath with a fist pumped in the air. Max rolled his eyes but a smirk remained.

Max opened the fridge and listed the options he had in his head. Every beverage in the apartment had to stay in the fridge after a heated (And in all honesty, silly) argument over forgetting to refill the ice trays. After a few internal decisions, he poured wine into one glass, and soda in the other. 

“So, what's on the agenda tonight?” Max asked as he handed Nikki her glass of soda. Nikki turned the laptop to where Max could see. “I got excited and looked at some cabins while you were at work, and I found some really cool ones!” Nikki explained before bringing her glass up to Max's so they'd clink.

“Hmm,” Max hummed through a sip of wine with a careful nod. Max set his glass aside to comment. “Yeah, it looks like you had fun while I was away-”

He was interrupted by his phone ringing, at this point, he didn't really need to play the guessing game because he figured who it was already. He picked up his phone, sure enough, it was David. Max rolled his eyes before swiping to answer.

“Hey, Max! Is Nikki around?” David asked in a cheerful manner, Max and Nikki could practically feel his smile beaming through the phone. “Yeah, she's next to me. Why do you ask?” Max asked with a suspicious raised brow.

“No real reason just called to check in! It's been a few weeks since we talked is all,” David explained with a shrug which couldn't be seen. “Anyways, how've you two been? Up to any Halloween plans?”

“We've been pretty good, I'm drinking wine and Nikki's drinking soda out of a wine glass because we're fucking adults” Max snarked at David but he let out a small laugh to let him know he didn't completely mean to be a dick in that moment. He was older, more mature, and had years to grow up out of his little shit phase.

“As for Halloween, we're not making any huge plans this year, since we're looking for a new place and all,” Nikki commented through a sip of soda. “Wait, you're moving? Where? When?” David asked with wide eyes.

“Eh, we're looking for a cabin in the woods. We don't know if Gretchen's gonna be like me without nature or not but we're not looking to take any chances.” Max explained as he sat back and hung his head over the edge of the couch.

“Not to mention that the apartment was too small for the two of us to begin with, I don't think a baby's going to fit in the mix” Nikki added.

“Hmm, you do have a point there,” David nodded from across the line. “Hey, if you're looking to be close to familiar faces, there's a cabin a few miles down the road from my place! I think it'd be perfect for raising Gretchen in!” David suggested with an unseen but present smile.

Max and Nikki exchanged a quick glance, Nikki smiled. “Ooh, Imagine living close to David!” Her eyes lit up with excitement.

“I try not to” Max replied blandly, returning to his petty nature. He took another sip of wine before making an inaudible comment about how warm it's gotten.

“Anyways, I'll send you the address, see if you can find an agent to look at the cabin with. If you want, I'd be more than happy to go with you guys, I can even show you around the area!” He added, Nikki gave Max a hopeful look that was more of a beg than anything.

Max thought about it for a second before giving Nikki a silent shrug. She flashed him a smile, “That'd be great. Thanks, David!”

“Anytime, Nikki!” David replied. “Well, I gotta go, talk to you later,” David said before hanging up.

 

Once David was off the line, Nikki looked up the address he gave her. Once the page loaded, she let out an “Ooh!” with wide eyes. Max sat up and peaked over to look at the screen.

The cabin was a decently sized one, the exterior walls were log while most of the interior walls were smooth (although, some of the walls were log, too. It added a nice rustic touch) There were large windows that allowed nice natural lighting, and the front and backyard was fairly large and it out looked the forest. Why somebody would move away from a beautiful cabin like that confused them but their minds were pretty much already set on checking it out themselves.

Although, there were a few flaws that drew their attention. The description included how the roof needed work done (Mainly a few shingles that needed to be replaced to fix the leaks), the old wooden floors were in desperate need of a good scrub and polish, and the windows looked scuffed to hell.

It was an overall fixer-upper, a project that required elbow-grease and time. Max and Nikki exchanged looks again, a 'you thinking what I'm thinking?' kind of look.

Max picked up his phone and called a new number.

 

“Hey, when's the earliest we can schedule a house tour?”


	12. A place to call home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Nikki settle into their new cabin with the help of some friends. Then, Max and David share a bonding moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I actually took my time to write this shit and I kinda hate it :') go figure I guess
> 
> There are some notes at the end, so please read the end notes

Months passed, and before they knew it, Max and Nikki were moving into their new forest resided cabin. Nikki was at the 7-month mark at this point, so that just left Max, David, Gwen, Neil and Nerris to unpack all the heavy stuff and work on the repairs while Nikki was stuck taking it easy.

It was freezing outside that day, promised snows, actually. It was the perfect opportunity to try out the fireplace. Max went to work to prepare lunch in the new kitchen (the kitchen he loved, it felt great to not be limited to 4 feet of counter space. You should have seen the look on his face when he walked into the kitchen for the first time), David started the fireplace, Gwen stocked their bookshelves (and occasionally asked them why they had some of the books in their collection), Neil was taking his sweet, sweet time evening out their pictures (spending a solid 10 minutes on each picture), while Nerris and Nikki installed the curtains.

 

Nancy was sat near the TV to watch some holiday movie, Neil and Nerris brought one of their smaller playpens for her to stay in while everyone went to work. Maybe by next year she'd be running around the cabin with her younger cousin, but until then everyone was grateful for her being a really gentle toddler. She was transfixed on the bouncy characters that danced on the screen, it was adorable watching her face light up before she broke out into a fit of giggles whenever something humored her.

 

After poking the fire and sliding the safety gate to keep Nancy out of the fire, David passed through the living room (Making sure to pat Nancy's lil head on his way out) and into the kitchen to meet with Max. Max was working away on lunch, from the looks of it, it was pasta. Music played on from his phone to keep him entertained, it was some old song from a movie soundtrack. It was classic rock, so it was catchy enough for Max to occasionally lipsync into the spoon he used to stir lunch.

“Anything else left to unpack?” David asked as he sat on a bar-stool to sit at the kitchen island. Max looked up from the pasta he was stirring, “Yeah, Gretchen's room still has a few boxes. I'm pretty sure that can be knocked out in a few hours easily on my own, though"

“Hmm,” David hummed with a subtle nod. He traced his fingers over the tile detail of the counter-top (If they could, they'd definitely change the counter-tops so they wouldn't have to clean in between the tiles, but it's something they could definitely live with) David perked up once he remembered something. He sat up as a calm smile spread over his face “That reminds me, I've got something in my car for Gretchen's room!”

 

One of Max's brows rose, “Oh?” He put the lid on the pot before lowing the heat to let the pasta simmer and thicken up. He went to grab some silverware from the drawers to set the table. “What is it?” He asked.

“Nope, can't tell you. Wait til after lunch” David teased, causing Max to roll his eyes. “Whatever,” He said before setting the table.

 

 

“You bought… A crib… An engraved crib,” Max's mouth gaped open as he eyed the box of wooden crib pieces that have yet to be assembled. One of the noticeably larger pieces had Gretchen's name neatly engraved on it 

“Nope, I didn't buy it, I made it!” David boasted as he laid proud hands on his hips. 

“Waitwaitwait, when the fuck did you make this?” Max asked in disbelief. He knew David worked fast, but he's been helping them unpack on one hand, and he had to balance his job on the other.

“Well, I technically had my brother help me make it, but we started after camp ended this year-” David went on about the crib with a boastful smile spread on his face, and by instinct, Max tuned him out.

He wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to react, I mean, come on, it's a crib. And a handmade one, at that. A handmade crib with his Daughter's name carved into it. David didn't have to go through the trouble of doing that, he also didn't have to tell them about the cabin, nor did he have to be there for Max whenever he needed a father figure when his own fucked up excuse of a dad failed to do so himself. 

Come to think of it, David didn't have to do anything for Max, and yet, he still chose to be there for him to support him along the way.

When Max finally tuned back in, David was still talking. “-And we used this gorgeous walnut wood, I figured you'd like the little natural details and it's overall a great choice of wood aesthetically-”

“-Thanks, David...” Max interrupted, causing David to stop in his wood related rant. David blinked at him a few times before giving him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. “Anytime, Max. If you plan on having another kid, let me know a little while ahead of time and I think I could manage to make an entire set of-”

“No, I'm not just talking about the crib” Max added, David raised a confused brow at him. “What do you mean, Max?”

Max looked down at his feet. “I mean, thanks for just… Being there and helping us- helping me get through this! These past few months have been stressful with Gretchen and the wedding, then we brought the move into the picture… It's just...” Max sighed, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

“I don't know how you did it, but I think you've proven that you'd be a waaay better grandpa to Gretchen than my dad could ever be, even if he tried,” Max stated, he chose to stare outside at the snow that slowly piled onto the ground, promising a white Christmas for sure.

David was at a loss for words, 'grandpa?', him? 

“Max, do you really think I could be her grandfather?” He asked, a sense of innocence and pride stained his voice. Max shrugged, but he couldn't bring himself to face David. “Hell yeah, without a doubt”

David smiled, but it wasn't his usual perky smile. It was warm, sincere, full of pride. “What does that make me, your dad?” He joked, it was subtle but surely a joke.

Max chuckled, his shoulders bounced lightly. “I'll be honest, there were days where I wished you were my dad. You would have done a much better job than what mine did”

Max couldn't see the expression that grew on David's face. If only he could the face he made when he mentioned how he wanted him to be his dad. It was one of the happiest faces he's ever managed to make, it might have even outdone the way his face lit up when he fell in love with Camp Campbell. 

But that quickly changed when Max brought up his dad, that face fell into a frown of some sorts. He knew how Max's home life was, even if Max really got into it later in life after college started up, once he was free from his father's clutches.

Max finally turned to face David, he was shocked to be met with the upset and disturbed expression David had to offer. “...David?” Max spoke in a hushed voice, he wasn't sure how to handle David at that moment.

“You didn't deserve anything your father did. You were such a good kid, Max, even if I was the only one that could see it” David affirmed in a heartfelt sense. Max's expression twitched, how does one react to a statement like that?

 

You start crying, apparently.

 

“Do you mean that?” Max asked as peculiar tears stung his eyes. David merely nodded, an affirming smile spread on his face. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, but nodding seemed to work for him. Max returned a smile, even if his was smaller and more subtle than Davids.

Max quietly brought David into a hug, he hadn't hugged him like since his wedding day, so that's probably why it felt all too familiar to David. When put in perspective, Max had certainly grown out of giving him a brief hug that seemed more like a comforting flash than anything, to giving him longer, more drawn out hugs.

David patted Max's head, Max didn't even care at this point, he felt comfortable, he felt at home. “Sorry I was such a dick back then,” Max apologized through the hug, never coming up to speak clearly.

“Max, there's no need to apologize, honestly” David confirmed, Max backed away. He looked upset, a whole nother level of upset that David's ever seen from him. His brows furrowed as his eyes squeezed shut to try and prevent tears from streaming down his cheeks as his jaw and lip trembled.

“No, no you're wrong. You've always been wrong. I'm a fucking asshole!” His voice cracked at the last part as tears finally started streaming down his face. David fell silent again, Max merely sniffed as he wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket. “I was an absolute asshole to somebody that just wanted to fucking help me, and I'm afraid I'm going to be an asshole to my daughter because that's how awful of a person I am!"

David's heart broke, his voice croaked quietly in protest before he finally managed to speak again. “Max... Max, it's okay.” He brought Max in for a second hug, this one involved more pats and comforting back rubs that anything else. "And you're not going to be like that towards Gretchen, that was in the past, you've moved on from that ages ago. You're going to be an amazing father, trust me."

Max continued to heave into David's chest, Within minutes, heaves and sobs turned into slow breathes and subtle sniffles. Max wondered if this was what the bond between a father and his son felt like because it felt warm and welcoming. It felt like home.

 

Finally, Max pulled away before wiping his eyes one final time. “Feel better?” David asked, Max merely responded with a hum and nod. David gave him a smile in response, he could have sworn he saw Max return one, but that might have been him seeing what he wanted to see. 

Max sniffed, “Thanks again, dad”

Dad. The word rang in David's ear for a moment. Did he really trust him enough to be considered his dad? Well, he must have. Why else would somebody that previously hated his guts call him dad? The word rang in his head before he gave him a legitimate reaction.

David gave him a proud and reassuring smile, “Anytime, son”

Max made a face. “Don't push it” 

“...Alright” David gave a small laugh at the end, causing Max to roll his eyes. "Let's just build the fucking crib" Max said before returning to the crib.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey uhhh, if y'all like the fic or at least want to see more, leave a comment please?? Cause like I only got one comment on the last chapter (and I loved it!!) and my motivation to write this got thrown out the window.
> 
> Another thing: If you notice any errors in the fic (Like a spelling error or a skipped/reused word, for example), please let me know. idk why but it bugs me a lot and usually takes me like a minute to fix lmao
> 
> Also, we only got 2 planned chapters left of this fic, we're really fucking close to the end!! If you have ANY suggestions for the fic, let me know what you'd like to see more of (like fluff or angst, maybe bring a character that hasn't been in the fic in a while back, more drawn scenes anything goes)
> 
> I might take my time to write these last few chapters like I did with this (Of course I will try to get them out at a decent pace (1-2 weeks), I just need to ease up on myself because writing this is stressful)
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter might be angsty af, be prepared I guess??


	13. Past Due Dates and Angry Phone Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikki's officially past her due date and Max gets into an argument with his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to write a shortish chapter, I had 3 birthdays come up and Halloween right in between two of them, then stranger things 2 happened and well,, yeah,,

“Any day now, kiddo” Max said to Nikki's stomach. 

2 months quickly passed by and before they knew it, Nikki was already past her due date. Nikki held back a laugh as Max knelt down to meet her stomach's level. “Come on, it can't be that hard!”

A laugh slipped between Nikki's fingers, “Max, I don't think she can hear you” His nose scrunched up at her assumption, “Yeah, she can. Read the books” He reminded, never looking up in the process. Nikki playfully rolled her eyes before she made a face as Gretchen kicked. “Aha! She can hear me!” Max snickered.

“Okay, so she can hear you. But she'll come out when she's ready, just wait a while” Nikki said with a shrug. Max stood up, “I don't think I can. Her due date was last Friday, we need to be ready for when it's time!” Max stressed, his expression looked tense. 

Nikki patted his shoulder, “Max, don't worry. When she is ready, we'll be ready. We have the overnight bags packed and we got the car gassed up, don't we?” She asked in a 'we-got-this-shit-covered' kind of tone. Max nodded, “Yeah but what if-” “Max! Nikki interrupted, “Chill. Everything's going to be okay”

Max huffed out a sigh. “Sorry, I'm just anxious” He confessed as he ran a hand through his curls. Nikki smiled at him, that allowed him to ease up a bit.

“While we wait, could you make me more of those cookies? I'm hungry” Nikki admitted with no shame, Max stifled a laugh. “Again?”

 

The rest of the evening was relatively quiet, aside from Max checking on Nikki, of course. They caught up on TV and ate baked goods until Nikki turned in to take her shower. That left Max alone in the living room for an hour or two until he was comfortable with going to bed.

It remained silent for about an hour before his phone rang. Max's brows arose in suspicion, he wasn't expecting anyone to call, so who could it be? As he picked up his phone to check the caller ID, his stomach sank.

"Dad"

A breath caught in his throat, rather it wanted to come out as a scream or come in as a gasp was a mystery to him. He let the phone ring for a little while longer to debate if he really wanted to pick up before he hesitantly swiped to answer.

“God damn it, it's about time you pick up,” His father said, Max's chest tightened, but scowling seemed to help it somehow. “Hello to you to, dad” He emphasized the last part, causing the word to merely sear.   
“Cut the shit, Maxwell, I just want to talk to you” His father ordered, causing Max to open his mouth as to argue back but he decided not to. He was too tired to pull that shit tonight. “Talk about what, exactly?” Max asked as he crossed one arm as the other held onto his phone.

His father sighed angrily across the line. “You know, about you moving and not telling me. If you hadn't posted about it online I wouldn't have known at all” Max mentally noted to block his father, or better yet, get a new facebook. “Why do you care, exactly? Last time I checked you never gave a shit about me,” Max snarked.

His father scoffed, he sounded even more fed up somehow. “Because I'm your father. I think I have the right to know what you're up to. Especially since my first grandchild is on the way, unless you managed to kill it already” Max's expression turned sour.

His crossed hand went to his side and it balled into a fist, it tightened and his knuckles went white. “It? I'm sorry- did you call Gretchen an 'it?' She's a baby- She's my baby-, not an object. Granted, what would you know about how to treat kids, I mean, look at how I turned out!” He let out a sarcastic laugh near the end, maybe it was to mask how pissed he really was, or maybe he really was humored at the thought.

“Oh, won't you just give it up, already? It's been years, Maxwell, shouldn't you be over that by now?” He asked. Max couldn't tell if he was being serious at this point or if he was just that oblivious to the situation.

“No!” Max spilled out shamelessly. If he could have, he would have screamed it at the top of his lungs to get the message through. For years he's wanted to scream it. “I'll never be over what shit you put me through! You were a terrible excuse of a father, and you're gonna be a terrible grandfather!”

His father made a barely audible croak in protest. “Max, I-”

Max interrupted him. “-Actually, no. You don't deserve to be her grandfather. You'd find the quickest route to fuck her up like how you fucked me up”

“So, what? You're not even going to give me a chance?” He asked. Max could piratically see his father's face angrily furrow up now. Max remained silent, it was hard because of the urge to scream his head off, but he remained silent. He was done with arguing, he didn't want anything to do with this conversation anymore.

“So, you're playing that game now, huh?” His father sighed. “Fine then Mr. 'I'm-such-a-good-dad', if you decide to start talking again, you know my number. I'm done with arguing” That was all his father could say before he hung up.

 

Max took in a slow breath before releasing it with an overly dramatic flop on the couch. He dropped his phone to his side before running trembling hands through his hair and down his face. His brows furrowed out of past frustration and his nose scrunched up in the process.

 

He spent a moment laying there in silence on the couch with his face buried in his hands. It was quiet until Nikki finally spoke up from the hallway. “Hey, I overheard what happened, are you okay?” She asked in a hushed voice.

Max sat up to look at her, her hair- which has grown out into a short bob from its original length in summer -was still damp from her shower, and she was in her pajamas. She cowarded away in the frame of their bedroom door, she had an overall concerned expression donned on her face.

Max looked away, “I-” he stopped to really think about what he was saying. He could either tell her the entire truth and risk breaking down right there, or he could save it for another time when he wasn't frustrated. 

He chose the latter. “Yeah, I'm fine.” He still refused to look at her, lying to her face wasn't easy. Nikki merely sighed, “Are you sure? You don't want to talk about it or something?” She suggested as she walked over to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head. “I'm fine, really. I might just sleep out here tonight, though, if that's okay with you” Nikki opened her mouth as to say something in protest, but she shut it. She nodded instead. “Okay”

Nikki sat next to Max, she reached for his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. Max finally faced her, he smiled down at her hands as he ran his thumb over her knuckles. He sighed, it more breathy, though. He felt safe with Nikki, how couldn't he? She was strong, she helped hold him together, she helped him live a little. He loved her, sometimes he felt he sucked at showing her, lying about how he was feeling surely wasn't helping at all. He saved the rant for later, he was too tired to spill everything out at that moment.

 

They sat together on the couch, the only lighting came from the stars and the moon from outside and the small lamp on the end table. It was quiet, but they didn't care. It remained quiet and peaceful until Nikki turned in for the night.

That left Max alone with his thoughts until he'd finally be able to sleep himself, insomnia was a bitch. It took him a good hour before he finally drifted off to sleep, the setup he left himself to work with didn't help much, and the argument still buzzed in his head, but once his eyes fell heavy, he went out quickly.

 

He managed to get about 3 hours of sleep that night before Nikki woke him up. Nikki switched the lights on, causing Max to wince and hiss as he was startled awake. “Nikki, what gives?” Nikki had a distressed expression on her face, one Max wasn't familiar with. 

 

“Max- Max I think it's time”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehehe, one chapter left then I'm free
> 
> But I wanted to start this off with a little bit of fluff because I don't write a whole lotta that, so ye


	14. Old Friends, New Relationships, and a Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max starts community college reunites with an unexpected friend from a certain summer camp.   
> Gretchen is born and the world's at peace (okay just kidding, but she is born)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER!! This is like 6,500 words, so if you've been binge reading this fic, take a break lmao (Get some water, walk around if you've been sitting/laying down for hours, or sleep if it's nighttime)

This was it, one of the most important moments in anyone's life.

Student Orientation. Well, that, and graduation. But none of that shit mattered to Max.

The orientation took longer than Max would have liked, it was crowded and full of overly excited freshmen that kept shouting for some reason. It's college- a community college, nonetheless -why were they all so excited? Max never understood the hype, he just wanted to get this all over with as soon as possible so that he could just graduate and get the fuck out of there already. He was stuck in a dump of a community college for the next 3 years, so as you could imagine, he wasn't all that happy.

College was a bit overrated, it's just an optional extra couple years of stress, anxiety, and money wasted. Of course, if you didn't get those credits, you'd have tough shit finding a job later on. So like it or not, he had to deal with 3 years of two princes, all-nighters, drunken party, expensive years of college.

Max wore his usual scowl, he had a cup of coffee he got from the coffee shop around the corner in one hand and his phone in the other. Aside from signing up for the fall classes he needed to pass, he spent the origination in the corner, tapping away at his phone while he spread out his cup to last him the entire day.

He didn't care about meeting the other students, there was no way in hell he'd talk to any of them. To him, the students were no different from the campers he spent his summers with down in Camp Campbell.

God, that fucking camp. All of those summers wasted down by the lake, days filled with long and boring activities, terrible food, and occasional mayhem caused by him and his two friends. In all honesty, he lost touch with Neil and Nikki after middle school. He doesn't remember much of what happened, but they all managed to drift apart near 7th or 8th grade.

Every once in a while, the thought of what they could be doing crossed his mind, sometimes he'd allow himself to reminisce on the pleasant memories of their shared summers, other times he'd push away the thought. Over time, it hurt a little to think of them. He wouldn't admit it, but he really missed them. They made his summers better, sometimes he'd even forget he was dumped in that camp in the first place.

But that was years ago, now he's 18, free to do whatever the hell he wants. He went to take another sip of coffee before realizing he drained the cup already. “Shit” Well, he knows he wants to go get another cup of coffee, one cup wasn't going to last him the entire day.

He threw away the empty cup before he headed towards the exit to go buy another cup, but a familiar voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Oh my god, Max!? Is that you?”

Max whipped his head back, he was met with the familiar sea-foam green hair and the brightest smile he'd seen in years.

“Nikki?”

 

* * *

 

 

Max invited Nikki to the coffee shop with him. He figured while they were attending the same hell-hole for the next 3 years together that they may as well catch up.

“What a crazy coincidence that we're at the same college! I mean, what're the chances?” Nikki said with a chuckle as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Max sat back in his seat, he nodded through a sip of his usual black brew. He had one hand on the cup and the other on his phone.

She looked different from the last he saw her. Her sea-foam green hair that was usually kept in a ponytail, braids, or pigtails to keep it out of her face, was now let less into a collar length bob. It was slightly messy as if she were running around campus before running into him, and it had a subtle curl to it.

Her cheeks were nearly as rosy as her eyes were, he figured it was either from a sunburn she acquired before the semester started, or they could have naturally been rosy. She looked like she gained some muscle overtime, too.

She looked a bit put together, she wore an oversized striped shirt with bright red jeans and matching flats. It wasn't a very Nikki style, but to be fair, it had been years. Max often found himself looking over his outfit again to compare their differences, his average worn out hoodie, ripped jeans that he never bothered throwing into the wash, and sneakers that he'd kick off once he'd get home.

Despite her different appearance, she appeared to be the same old Nikki he knew from camp. Energetic, bubbly, wild, same old Nikki.

 

“So, you've gotten taller” Nikki noted, Max nodded. “Can't say the same for you?” He said with a snarky chuckle. Nikki scoffed sarcastically, “Max, how dare you!” He snorted, “Can't run from the truth, short stuff” He laughed again. Nikki's nose scrunched as she crossed her arms before she turned away from him. Max threw his head down to hide the fit of giggles he was breaking out into.

They looked back at each other before laughing again like little kids. “I guess that's karma. That's what I get for making fun of how I was taller than you in middle school” Nikki shrugged. Max laughed around another sip of coffee.

He drew the cup away from him, “So, what are you studying again?” He asked with a raised brow.

“Physical Education Teaching and Coaching, I'm working to be a PE teacher” She explained before taking a sip of her iced coffee. It sent a chill down her spine, causing her to shiver in her seat. “I still don't understand how people can stand coffee, even the iced stuff is awful,” she said under her breath.

Max's brows rose in curiosity, “A PE teacher? How the fuck did you settle on that?” He asked before putting his phone down on the table and casually stuffing a hand in his pocket.

Nikki's eyes widened, probably out of the excitement of bragging opportunities or that Max actually seemed somewhat interested in something she had to say. She straightened up in her seat. “Well, I'm good at sports, and I loved coaching the kids at Camp Campbell last summer, so I figured it'd be the perfect job”

Max straightened up, too. “Wait, you worked at Camp Campbell?” Max asked. He was more invested in the conversation at this point. Nikki took notice, she gave him a warm, cheeky smile. “Yeah, I needed a summer job so Neil and I spent a few summers there as CITs. I came back as a counselor, and he comes back every once in a while when he's not busy with other jobs”

Max hummed before looking out the window and into the busy streets. “How's Neil doing, by the way? Is he still doing all that sciencey bullshit?”

 

Nikki's brows furrowed slightly. “Yeah, he has. You've been asking a lot of questions about us back home, where have you been? We thought that your parents took your phone away or something” She propped her head up with her hand as the other stirred her iced coffee with a straw.

Max looked back at her but found it hard to face her, so he resorted to looking back down at his coffee. “No, they didn't. I dunno, shit like this happens a lot. After your mom married Neil's dad, you've only needed each other and I guess I just drifted off after that”

A look of concern and guilt washed over Nikki's features. She looked down at her shoes. “Oh, yeah, I guess so...”

 

There was an awkward silence between the two, the only sound was from the traffic outside, the chatter of the shop customers, baristas calling out orders, the coffee machines hissing to make said orders, and the indie music that gently played in the background.

Nikki sighed to break the silence, “So, enough about me and all that other bullshit, what've you been up to?” She asked with a smile in an attempt to brighten the atmosphere. Max looked back out with a shrug, “Not much, I'm going into law school because my dad forced me to, but when I'm not dealing with my parents I'm either gaming or baking”

Nikki's eyes lit up at that last part. She smiled, “Baking? Seriously?” She stifled back a laugh. Max's brows furrowed, “Yeah? What's so funny about baking? Everyone fucking loves baked goods, don't act like you don't love a plate of brownies every once in a while”

Nikki's face fell, “Nonono, it's not that. It's just that, well, I never thought you of all people would be into baking” She admitted, somewhat nervously. Max rolled his eyes before taking another sip of coffee. “A lot can happen in 7 years, you'd be surprised at what else I like doing”

“Mm, yeah, I guess you got a point there” Nikki shrugged before dumping a sugar packet into her glass.

 

* * *

 

Max and Nikki walked down the streets into the shopping district of the town. “So, do you live nearby?” Nikki asked as she tried to skip to Max's slow pace. “Yeah,” He said with a nod, he didn't bother looking up from his phone. “I live down past Cherry Street, you might have passed some of the apartments on your way here”

“Ooh,” Nikki's eyes grew wide. “Yeah, I did. Do you have any roommates?” She then asked. Max shook his head blissfully. “Nope, I'll have to set out an ad, but until then, I'm enjoying living alone” He smiled for once, that left Nikki a little shocked.

“I'm guessing you're not too far from the campus, then?” He asked before stuffing both hands into his pocket. Nikki shrugged, “Yeah, you could say that” Max gave her a look, “What does that mean?” He asked. Nikki gave him a nervous chuckle. “Well, I do live close by. I just live in my van...” She admitted awkwardly. Max smacked his face before trailing his hand down it in a facepalm.

“So you're telling me you live in your van?” He asked, not sure if he should believe her or not. Knowing Nikki, it was probably true. “Yyyyyyyyeah, I tried giving van living a go but then I realized how much it sucked. Those indie vloggers make it look so easy!”

Max gave her a dumbfounded look, but he should have expected something like this to come from her sooner or later. He resorted to laughing. “God, you really haven't changed, have you?”

 

* * *

 

Max pulled out his keys from his back pocket, he switched between a few- cursing when he couldn't find the one he was searching for -before he found his apartment keys. After unlocking his door, Nikki ran in excitingly, a spring in her step was present.

His apartment was small and hardly lived in. Max had only spent a few weeks in it, so there were only the essentials (Aside from a few luxuries he either brought from home or bought after moving in) Despite being small, the apartment did have large windows that provided a beautiful view above the lively city. Nikki went straight to it to take a look outside.

“Whoa! You live here?” She asked as her rosy eyes lit up. Max rolled his eyes, “Yeah, it's kinda small, I don't get why you're so excited about it” He took off his jacket before throwing it onto the coat rack.

Nikki let out a sarcastic scoff, “Come on! You got this whole place to yourself! You don't have to deal with any annoying roommates or any of the kids back in the dorms!” She spun around as she continued to explore the living room.

Max gave her a small chuckle, “Yeah, I guess that's true. I still have to deal with next-door neighbors.” He admitted. Max turned into his kitchen before opening his fridge to search for a snack. “Hey, are you hungry? I think I got some leftover ice cream in the freezer”

Nikki whipped her head, “Ooh! Yes please!” She bounced over to the kitchen with a bubbly smile spread wide on her face. When Max's eyes peered over to her, he had to hold back a smile himself.

It was kind of strange, she just had to radiating, bubbling, happy energy to her. It's been so long since they've been together that he had forgotten all about it.

 

* * *

 

Weeks later, Nikki ended up becoming his roommate. She found out the hard way that van living wasn't ideal once her van broke down due to her leaving the AC on all night.

Having Nikki as a roommate was overall okay, it was just a bit weird living with a woman his age. Max kept reminding him that this was just like camp, except they're 18, and Neil's not here, and there aren't any activities.

 

Nikki found out about Max's secret hobby the hard way. The Saturday started off fairly normal, aside from the fact that Nikki woke up early to use the restroom (-Again. Seriously, how much does this girl drink that causes her to pee this much?)

Nikki stretched her arms over her head, that caused the bones in her spine, shoulders, and arms to crackle and pop in a somewhat satisfying manner. The apartment was usually quiet at this hour- at least, she thought it was -but she heard music playing outside from the living/kitchen area. Nikki's brow rose as her head tilted in a puppy-like manner, she hopped out of bed to investigate the music.

However, she wasn't prepared to see Max jamming out- yes, jamming out to music- in his pajama bottoms. _Only_ , his pajama bottoms.

Oddly enough, she couldn't stop herself from staring. It was weird, he was smiling, singing, and dancing to the song that played from his phone. It was some old classic rock song, one that she recognized quickly.

“-So come on and let me knooo-ooow; Should I cool it, or should I blow?” He sang with a bobbing head as he flipped breakfast. Nikki took a whiff of the air to see what he was cooking, he was making bacon and pancakes. Delicious.

Nikki couldn't tell if she should join, or laugh.

Apparently, she chose the latter.

A small giggle escaped her lips, resulting in her slapping a hand over her mouth. Oops.

“Wha- NIKKI?!” Max shouted through his flushing face. He hid behind the wall to hide his bare chest. Nikki slapped her hands over her eyes. “SORRYSORRYSORRYI'MGOINGI'MGOING” She shouted before fleeing to the bathroom.

 

One awkward trip to the bathroom and one shirt later, Max and Nikki sat at their tiny dining table. Their faces were flushed out of embarrassment, and they refused to make eye contact. A few minutes passed before either of them exchanged a word.

 

“So, you like classic rock, I take it?”

 

* * *

 

They had to make some adjustments to the apartment to fit Nikki's personal needs. Apparently she was still nature-deprived.

There were some days where she'd get pale and nauseous, that resulted in a trip to the local plant nursery to buy a shit ton of house plants.

On the plus side, it added some personality to the apartment. The downside, they had a shit ton of daily plant watering to do.

 

“Waitwaitwait, that's still going on?” Max asked with his brows knitted together in concern. His blood ran cold at the sight of Nikki curled up against the toilet. She was left trembling as she used one hand (Or well, her entire arm) for balance and the other to pull her hair back.

“Y-yeah. I guess I should have warned you ahead of time” She said through a stuffy nose. She hacked out some crud, causing Max to step back. He scuffed his heel on the bathroom linoleum as his hands were stuffed in the pockets of his pajama bottoms. “Do you uh… Do you want some help with that?” He asked uncertainly, not really sure of how to handle the situation.

“Open the window and pull my hair back, that's how you can help” She stated. Max was kind of surprised she managed to sound serious and strict through a stuffed nose. He nodded before opening the large windows in the living room, then he ran back to the bathroom to pull her hair back.

He knelt down to her level with his knees to his chest as he balanced on the balls of his socked feet. He gently grabbed as much hair as he could get with one hand and pulled back (Gently, because he knows from experience how much hair tugging hurts)

“So, l-like this?” He asked, his voice croaked and cracked anxiously. “Yes, perfect” Nikki nodded and gave him a thumbs up before returning to the bowl.

Max sighed. He used his free hand to pat her back in some sort of comforting sense. Something told him this was going to be a regular occurrence.

 

* * *

 

Months had passed before Max found himself asking, “Wait, has she always been this adorable?”

Of course, he didn't ask it out loud, he kept that question to himself. He wasn't sure if he even wanted the answer to that.

After turning on the shower, he had to wait for the water to heat up, so he took the time to lean on the bathroom door.

He ran a hand through his curly hair and down his tired face. What was wrong with him? She's your best friend, God damn it. All that happened was that she somehow made a bag of flour explode and it got all over the two of you. Somehow, despite the mistake she made, she still laughed through it.

God, that fucking laugh of hers. There was something about it that made his ice cold heart melt. Maybe it was the way her rosy cheek hued redder, or maybe it was how cutely her nose scrunched. Or was it the way she found no way to keep her eyes open?

Max threw his head back with a grunt on annoyance. Romance was never is specialty, honestly, he'd avoid getting into serious relationships. He never wanted to get attached to anyone, that way, heart ache would hardly be a problem. It's not like he never wanted to settle down with someone, or to be in a committed relationship, it was just hard.

“It doesn't matter” he thought to himself as he stepped into the shower. “It never will, there's no way in hell she feels the same way. You're too edgy and fucked up for her” All of this was just a case of wishful thinking, just get over it, it's not happening.

Yeah, if he could convince himself it'd never happen, maybe he'd drop the whole thing.

Right?

 

Wrong.

 

Weeks passed, usually, he's over any crushes by now, but this time was different. Christmas was around the corner, so most of the shit on TV were just holiday rom-coms and cheesy love stories revolving the cold season. That wasn't helping his case at all.

That was one of the many reasons Max hated the holidays. One of the other reasons was the fact that people spent the holidays with their families, and Max wasn't having any of that. He had luckily convinced his parents that school kept him busy, so he wouldn't be able to come home for the holidays. Nikki, on the other hand, was excited for the holidays.

She was going on and on about how exciting the holidays were at home, Max couldn't find himself relating, but he tried to sound interested. When he told her about staying home alone in the apartment for winter break, Nikki immediately protested against it.

 

“But Max, it's Christmas! Why don't you stay over with my parents? I'm sure they'd love to have you over, and Neal will be there, too!” Nikki suggested hopefully as she folded laundry into her luggage.

Max shrugged through a drink of root beer, “Nah, maybe another year. I'd rather spend the week at home in my pajamas” Nikki scoffed, that one sounded legitimate. “Max! I don't want you being alone for the holidays, that's not what they were meant for!”

Max glared up at her. Her concerned (and slightly offended) expression met his. It was alien to see a negative emotion on her face, especially directed towards him. He looked away from her, her gaze almost felt like it was burning him from the inside. He sighed. “Look, the holidays are kind of a hard time for me, Nik. As I said, maybe next year”

 

Nikki sighed herself. She pinched the bridge of her nose before she dropped what she was doing. Max raised a brow at her. “...What?” Nikki didn't say anything, she just took her half full luggage and put it in her room. Then, she came back into the living room and plopped onto the couch next to Max.

“Fine, if you want to stay home, then so do I”

 

* * *

 

“ _Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say~_ ”

“Rudolph with your nose so bright! Won't you guiiiiiiide my sleigh toniiiiiiight!” Nikki shouted around a sip of spiked eggnog. Max stifled a laugh as he tried to drink some of his own.

Nikki did, in fact, stay home for the holidays. She excused herself for being 'sick' with a cold, so her step-dad ended up sending over some soup and the presents they had for her. When Neil heard about Nikki being Max's roommate, he sent some gifts (and some handwritten letters) over for him.

Their week was spent alone in their apartment, mainly just them binging Christmas movies while eating brownies in their pajamas. They both opted to get out at some point to do something fun, but they hardly got out for more than dinner.

It's not like they cared much about what they could have been missing, they were too busy actually enjoying the holidays. Nikki took a quick sip of eggnog before shouting some drunken bullshit, and Max laughed, a legitimately, at that. He laughed so hard his cheeks were rosy and burning with happiness. It felt nice, it was unfamiliar to him, but he _loved_ it. Now he could understand why Nikki and David smiled so much, it felt amazing.

He tried to settle down to speak, “This is… Haha… This is the most fun I've ever had during Christmas, thanks for staying with me” Max admitted as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

Nikki chuckled herself, but hers was softer and more subtle than his was. “It's no problem, but Fuuuck, I've never seen you laugh that hard, are you okay?” She asked around a giggle.

Max took a deep breath- which was invaded by another fit of laughter -he nodded at her. “I'm great” He admitted happily. 'I'm great' felt weird to say, it was a rare occasion when he could admit he was happy, but in the moment, he wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Hours later, Max and Nikki switched their spiked eggnog out for water to sober up, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for a some Christmas rom-com to settle them down.

Nikki was curled up on one end of the sofa, a blanket was draped over her to keep her warm (which was a huge issue for her, because she's already 'borrowed' Max's hoodie in an attempt to warm up)

Max was at the other end, his head was being held up by his hand due to the fact that he was tired slowly fading in and out at some quiet scenes. Of course, Nikki would wake him up when something funny came up on TV.

Overall, Christmas Eve ended quietly.

 

* * *

 

After the movie ended, Max turned in for the night, Nikki did the same. If it weren't from the sudden and restless intrusive thoughts that he had, Max would have been fast asleep by now. He tried tossing and turning, anything to shake the thought of how much he… Well, was love really the word? It was never a word he could find himself throwing around. He hardly even used the word in his previous short-lived relationships.

He reached for his phones and earbuds, figuring music would block out the intrusive thoughts. He scrolled through a few songs, purposely avoiding any loud and crazy songs that would keep him up. He just needed something light and simple to lull him to sleep, not too much, not too little.

After picking a song, Max laid back as he stared at the ceiling. What would even happen if he were to tell her how he felt? She'd probably reject him on the spot, or hate him forever. Maybe things would be so awkward that she had to move out, or worse, drop out to go to another school.

What if she did accept his feelings, even went as far as dating him? But what if that were a trick, some sort of ruse during the semester to fuck with his feelings. No, no she wouldn't do that. She was too nice to do something that rotten.

But what if she already had someone waiting for her at home? He never asked if she was single or not. Well, of course he didn't, that'd be weird. Besides, there probably was someone waiting. I mean, come on, she was…

...

_Beautiful…_

 

Max's stomach turned, he threw a pillow over his head out of fear that he'd scream out of frustration. He's never had it this bad, just the thought of her caused those butterflies in his stomach to rant and rave. He groaned into his pillow, because screaming would have woken her up.

He threw the pillow off of his head before turning off the music. Since he obviously wasn't going to fall asleep yet, so he figured he'd get up to watch the snow fall over the city. There was always something about watching the snowfall that relaxed him.

 

He stepped out into the living room, he navigated around the couch (which was hard to do in the dark) before pulling the ottoman up to the window. He propped his arms up on the window sill (keeping mind of the planter of lavender that was right next to him) and held his head up. He was close enough to the window that his breath fogged it up. He used a finger to draw little stick figures in the fog (and maybe some cartoonish dicks, that got a little laugh out of him)

A good 20 minutes passed before he heard Nikki's door click open. When he caught her eyes, she tensed up.

“Hey,” He said.

“...Hey,” She said.

“I uh, I didn't think you'd be awake” She admitted as she rubbed her arm awkwardly. Max merely stared at her. She had her blanket draped over her shoulders, and telling by the slight shivering, she was cold. “What are you doing out here?” He asked with a raised brow before he glanced back outside.

“I um… My room has a window... And it's letting cold air seep in” Nikki explained, she looked away from Max and onto the floor to avoid eye contact.

“Tragic,” Max said blankly with a hum, “You'll have to remind me to buy you a space heater once the holidays die down, then” Nikki nodded before giving him half-assed finger guns. Max chuckled lazily at her attempt. It was obvious that they were both tired.

There was a quiet minute exchanged between the two, Max stared out the window at the snow, and Nikki stared at him. Part of him knew she was staring, but he didn't really care. Occasionally, the silence would be interrupted by the heater buzzing to life, or by Max scratching the scruff on his jawline.

 

Eventually, Nikki silently sat on the floor next to Max. The lights of the city, stars, and moon blanketed over the two of them as they sat next to the window. Max glanced over at her, that might have been a mistake, her hair always had that beautiful shimmer to it in the moonlight that made his heart jump. He looked away from her to hide his subtly flushed cheeks. “Do you want me to scoot over? I think there's room for two on here and I'm positive the floor is cold as shit”

Nikki's brows rose at the suggestion. “Oh, okay. Thanks” Max scooted over to the edge of the ottoman, making sure to leave as much room as he could for her. Nikki sat up next to him before she draped half of the blanket over his shoulders.

 

They went silent for another moment before Nikki tried to spark up a conversation again.

“Were you having trouble falling asleep?” She asked, she didn't bother looking away from the window, but she did catch his nod from the corner of her eye. “Yeah, I guess so”

Truth be told, Nikki being right next to him wasn't helping his case at all. Nikki hummed but she didn't continue the conversation, so that allowed Max to retreat to his thoughts to push pass the situation he allowed himself into. What was going through his head right now, you may ask? He was either thinking of kissing her, or thinking of a song that mocked the situation.

_“You always want what you can't have, but I've got to try. I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have, for you I will”_

The familiar lyrics of Teddy Geiger buzzed in his head. Well, it was better than feeding off of the idea of kissing your roommate and best friend, at least. He'd pick that over the torture any day. He laid his chin in his hand with his elbow propped on his knee for support, he sighed and closed his eyes.

 

Nikki peeked over, she noticed his restless expression. “Hey, are you alright? It looks like something's bothering you big time” Max's eyes shot open. Shit, what do you say?

“I- um...” He trailed off as he tried to think of a quick remark. Nikki cocked a brow at him. “Well, um-” shitshitshit, just try and dance around the truth, that'll work. “Yeah, you see, there's this girl I like, and-” “A girl? That explains so much, who's the lucky lady?” Nikki asked with excitement, as if she all of a sudden wasn't totally exhausted.

Max coughed nervously, but he tried to cover it up as if he were clearing his throat. “U-um, this-this girl. This girl in the desk next to mine” He lied, Nikki furrowed her brows at the uncertainty in his voice, but she kept that to herself. She gestured for him to continue with the story.

Max fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “A-and, she's really pretty- Beautiful, actually. And she's really nice, just an all around gem to be with, you feel?” Nikki raised a brow. “Oh yeah, what's her name? And how come I'm just hearing of this girl, huh?”

Max fumbled with a few more words, “Her name is, um, Brandy. And, w-well, I figured… I figured you'd, um, you'd make fun of me or something” He stuttered out. His stomach twisted anxiously into knots as a lump formed in his throat, there was no way he was getting out of this mess.

Nikki huffed before sitting up, causing the blanket to droop onto the floor behind them. “Max, I'm not an idiot. That sounds like a bunch of made up bullshit. Just tell me the truth, I want to help you with whatever you're dealing with. I won't make fun of you, honest”

The knots in his stomach loosened at the reassurance. His chest puffed up with a large breath before he released the last of the tension that had built up inside.

 

“You're right, I-i'm sorry, Nik. That… That was kinda shitty of me” He apologized as he ran a hand through his curls. 'Crushes aren't that big of a deal, lots of people get them' He thought to himself to motivate himself.

“Honestly, I-i've kinda really liked.. you…” He explained sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was turned away from her, so he couldn't see the awkward thin line her lips formed. “Oh, um… Not what I was expecting, heh” Nikki turned away from him, a blush tinting her already rosy cheeks redder.

“Yeah...” Max sighed out. “It's just that, I dunno, we've known each other for years and when we all grew apart, it just felt like I was missing something. I really missed you, and I didn't know I much I needed you with me until you were gone.” He explained, a small smile finally crept its way back onto his face.

“And I just...” He sighs before he finally looked back at her, expecting to be met with some sort of disappointed expression. But instead, to his surprise, he was met with a flush smile. He smiled back at her, “I really care about you. You're just so nice, and fun, and kindareallyprettybUTIMEAN”

Nikki stifled a laugh behind her hands, Max gave her a scowl, but it was light as if he didn't mean it. “You said you wouldn't laugh” he pointed out. Her brows rose, “Nonono, I'm not laughing at you. Well, I am, but it's not like that” She laughed out a sigh. “I just didn't believe you were someone that would actually care that much about these things, that's all” She admitted with a shrug.

Max pouted at her before he puffed up his chest with in inhale. Quickly, he cupped her face before kissing her lips. The squeaked out in surprise before she melted into it. When he pulled back, her face hued into a beet red as she panted from shock.

 

“Believe me now?”

 

* * *

 

The entire process took 8 hours, 8 long hours. Every once in a while Max would go in and out to give updates to everyone in the waiting room. Candy, David, Neil, and Nerris came but were told to wait outside. Max would have waited, too, but he didn't want to leave Nikki alone in there. David and Candy were both anxious and excited, same went with Max. Neil and Nerris occasionally would support them (they went through the same process about a year ago with Nancy, so Max had some comfort with that)

 

After 8 long hours waiting, eventually, the time came to meet her.

 

Nikki laid in the bed as Max stood by her side. Nikki held Max's hand through the final parts. Half of it was out of pain and stress, while the other half was out of fear and need of comfort. “It's a girl!” The doctor announced before handing the bundle to Nikki for a minute skin-to-skin contact before they'd have to clean her up. Max and Nikki both smiled tiredly, Gretchen cried, wailed, in squeaked, but that relieved them to know she was at least breathing.

Gretchen was small and frail, but the doctor's didn't seem to worried about it so neither did they. Her hair was a dark seafoam, and her eyes (which were hard to see due to her squeezing them shut constantly as she cried) appeared to resemble Max's piercing green ones.

“H-hey there, sweetie… It's me, it's mommy” Nikki said breathlessly as she gently bounced Gretchen. Max stroked her head as tears of his own bit at the corners of his eyes. “Hey there, kiddo. It's daddy” Max said to Gretchen. Nikki turned Gretchen so she'd face Max, he smiled widely at her.

“She has your eyes,” Nikki commented. Max chuckled softy, “And your nose” He added. As they listed who's traits she got, Nikki held Gretchen against her chest as Max rubbed her back.

They all stayed there for a moment, mainly just to take it all in. Eventually, they handed her over to be cleaned, weighed, and named to finish off her birth certificate.

 

Nikki sighed deeply with a quivering lip as she wiped at the tears that welled in the corners of her eyes. “It's… Finally… Over...” She breathed out as her head flopped back onto the pillow. Max laid a kiss on her forehead as he held onto her hand. “You did amazingly back there, I'm so proud of you” he admitted against her forehead.

Nikki smiled before looking out the window at the February snowfall. Max caught her glance, he looked out too. “Do yemember that night in our apartment, the one where you first kissed me?” Nikki asked weakly. Max nodded, “Yeah. It was snowing that night too, huh?”

“Mhmm,” She hummed before sniffling. Max glared down at her. “It was so hard,” She said before tears began streaming down her face. “And I didn't wanna cry,” She admitted. Max faintly gasped before he cupped her face.

“Heyheyhey, it's okay. It's okay to cry, I can only imagine what you had to go through to do this. But it's all over, all of that hard shit's done” he reminded before hugging her from her neck. “As I said before, you did so good, Nik” “Yeah,” Nikki nodded, “I guess so” She sobbed out. Max patted her head as she cried into his shirt, he'd occasionally coo comforting words to help her.

 

When she was given back, the entire gang came around to meet Gretchen. Candy was the first allowed to see her (her being her first grandchild and all), they swore they saw her cry as she held onto her grandbaby for the first time.

David was next, he definitely cried. He kept listing off all of the fun activities he'd do with her once she was old enough (teaching her how to play guitar, hiking, and almost everything on his camp song).

Neil and Nerris got to see her last. They both awed at her and made little jokes about how she naturally had a scowl like her daddy does (earning them that said scowl directed towards them)

 

That's how the rest of the night was spent, with everyone getting to meet Gretchen. As her grandparents and aunt and uncle got to gush over her, Max and Nikki relaxed.

“If you could take all of this back, and go on to live alone like you had planned when you started college, would you?” Nikki asked, Max stared at her slightly dumbfounded.

He looked at her, then at Gretchen, then at their rings before he looked at her again.

“Nah,” He said as he shook his head “I like this we've got laid out” He admitted as her laid back. Nikki sighed with a smile as she leaned against his shoulder.

“Good, I am too”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Somebody gotta keep the fire burning, upgrading while their haters stuck in-" wait, we're not doing that? OH YEAH-FUCK
> 
>  
> 
> Big thanks to everyone for reading the fic!! I'm so thankful for all of the comments I've received, and even some fanart I've gotten over the past few months!! This is the longest story I've written so far and I feel like I've improved from when I first started back in late summer!!
> 
> If you'd like to see the next gen au (Gretchen, her sister, and the next generation of camp campbell) y'all can go to my tumblr here!! https://campcampqueen.tumblr.com/tagged/camp-camp-next-gen
> 
> Also, the songs referenced in the fic are:   
> Should I stay or should I go - The Clash  
> Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry  
> For You I will (Confidence) - Teddy Geiger
> 
> If I had referenced more songs I could have made a playlist lmao, I think I only referenced 5 or so
> 
> Anyways, idk what else to say. Catch me on tumblr on my personal (yagirlqueenie) or my cc blog (campcampqueen)
> 
> Byeee

**Author's Note:**

> Don't expect regular updates lmao


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